Harmony Korine’s 1997 directorial debut “Gummo” is one of those movies that gets swallowed up by its own images. More than any plot event, people remember “Gummo” for the bathtub spaghetti scene, the Bunny Boy’s hat, and the unique shape of Jacob Reynold’s head as Solomon on the film’s box art. This is strange, though, considering that the film itself aspires to be so much more. Revisiting “Gummo,” it reads as an attempt to address as many social and political issues as possible by slotting them into the film’s Midwestern setting. Over the course of its runtime, “Gummo” explores themes ranging from sexual assault to racism to misogyny to ableism and eventually to homophobia, transphobia, and beyond, all to wildly varying degrees of success.
To Be Ugly
Created by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This project was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ I will never be pretty. Most people’s view on “growing up ugly” consists of a nerdy brunette taking…
Joji’s Bizarre Adventure: How I (Don’t) Enjoy Problematic Media in 2022
To say Filthy Frank was an incredibly significant part of my childhood is an understatement. Yes, I hopped on the Filthy Frank train when the original “Harlem Shake” video was at peak popularity, but I eventually came to know the…