I wonder why Harmony Korine so desperately wants to be hated. I cannot think of another motivation for his directorial efforts starting with Gummo and leading down to the nadir of his oeuvre which is 2009’s Trash Humpers.
I refuse to take the bait and be outraged by this film, though that is a reasonable reaction to this. For one thing, to call it a “film” is a misnomer for a couple of reasons. One of those is it being shot neither on film nor digitally, but possibly the worst quality videotape possible. That the credits, however brief, claim to have people performing such duties as art, editing and special effects might be the funniest aspect of this, given how little work that had to entail.
Another strike against it being a “film” is this is an aimless, plotless affair where everybody seems to be so bored as to make one wonder why they bothered. We follow the admittedly odd shenanigans of the titular quartet who, indeed, do a great deal of dry humping of various objects. They mostly do this to trash cans, though trees are also molested. One of the male trash humpers fellates a tree branch, which I hope was at least good for the tree.
They do a great deal of this at night, when they go around neighborhoods with flashlights. They also engage in such creepy and disturbing behavior as shining those into the windows of various houses.
I assume their behavior as peeping toms was genuinely illegal. Obviously not real is footage of them supposedly killing a man who is wearing a French maid’s outfit, as snuff films rarely receive wide distribution.
Before his alleged death, we see this guy is likely not in the best mental condition. At least, that was my conclusion from the poetry he reads to the group to entertain them. I assume the main characters are laughing in mockery, given their demeanor throughout this.
There are various other people they encounter like this, all of whom I suspect have lived rather rough lives and whose mental health is probably not great. They treat these people the same as they did that one guy, as they fart openly and laugh at odd times at their stories. One guy is a weird homophobe who has an obsession with the object of his hate. Still, I question the filmmakers’ right to publicly humiliate this guy, forever preserving his hateful “jokes”.
Further emphasizing Korine’s apparent hatred of these unfortunates is when the director, as one of the Humpers, delivers a monologue while driving the group around a suburban neighborhood at night. He claims of the residents of the houses they pass, “I can smell how these people are trapped in their lives. I can feel their pain.” This brings peals of laughter from the others.
About this group: they are three guys and a girl. The female Humper is Korine’s wife, and I’m not sure if her enthusiastic participation suggests she is his soul mate or merely part of a shared delusion. Despite the masks which are meant to make them appear elderly, these are clearly young people underneath, as they make no effort to limit their agility. Girl Humper especially flaunts this apparent violation of their own conceit by striking yoga poses.
When they aren’t humiliating the oblivious or sexual assaulting trash receptacles, they largely smash things: TV’s, concrete blocks, fluorescent lights. Sometimes they feel inspired enough to do things like show a weird, suit-clad boy how to conceal a razor blade inside an apple.
And they laugh. If there is one thing they have mastered, it is a deeply annoying laugh that is like somebody heard that of the Ann character on Little Britain and realized they could do one even more grating.
They also sing improvised inanities, such as a recurring one about three little devils that jump over a wall and kill a bunch of people. The various people they encounter are also encouraged to make musical contributions, and these were available as a standalone audio bonus on the blu-ray I watched—a feature which gives the word “bonus” a curious new angle, making me realize we need a new word for additional material which makes an experience even worse. And yet, if you wanted to hear “You Girls Juss Suck Large Fat Penis” in its entirety, I have good news for you.
Another bonus feature has Kat Ellinger, somebody whose opinions I respect, go through some fascinating contortions to frame this work within a broader cultural context. But I feel this picture was just another entry in what appears to be an unofficial contest to create the next most derided work which is largely accused of being artistically bankrupt, but which will inevitably find a cult following someday. I remember the outrage over Soderberg’s Schizopolis (I film I genuinely enjoy more each time I see it), and this just feels like another attempt to goad the critics. And even as much as these characters masturbate, I won’t take the bait.
If there is one moment I felt something other than boredom while watch this, it was a few static shots of empty public spaces in the middle of the night. Such spaces do have a weird quality to them when bereft of the people that give them context.
I wasn’t expecting how the work concludes, and that is the female Humper appearing to break into a house, grab a live infant and take it for a stroll outside while singing it a nursery rhyme. I suspect this is the Korine’s baby and maybe even their own house. Some may think this is a sweet moment. But given everything that comes before this, I’m guessing the Korines’ point-of-view is “look at how stupid these people are, and we are so superior to them, but look at out adorable wittle baby…oh aren’t you just a cutie-wootie.”
It is hard to believe Trash Humpers is only 76 minutes long because it an interminable experience. It has the greatest disparity I have encountered between the true length of a movie and its perceived length. I can’t imagine ever subjecting myself to it again unless I ever find myself on death row. If there is one thing I have found which would will make the time go as slowly as possible, it is watching Trash Humpers.
Dir: Harmony Korine
Starring…you’re joking, right?
Watched on Umbrella Australia blu-ray (all region)