Slacker
Richard Linklater's Slacker presents a day in the life of a loose-knit subculture of marginal, eccentric, and overeducated citizens in Austin, Texas. Shooting the film on 16mm for a mere twenty-three thousand dollars, writer/producer/director Linklater and his close-knit crew of friends eschewed a traditional plot, choosing instead to employ long takes and fluid transitions to create a tapestry of over a hundred characters, each as unique as the last, culminating in an episodic portrait of a distinct vernacular culture and a tribute to bohemian cerebration. Slacker is a prescient look at an emerging generation of aggressive nonparticipants, and one of the key films of the American independent film movement of the 1990s.
Member Reviews
I'm glad I don't know these people - rnhaas
No plot, no main characters. This is more a documentary of a time and place, only the people are fictional. The concept is maddening until it grows on you. It takes a while to figure out what is going on but that is probably part of the point. Here is an unflinching examination of the so-called generation X (and others) who, like the third generation after the robber barons, don't really know what to do with the situation they've found themselves in. I want to write something profound but it's just not coming to me.It's really French - jjlook
This movie, while striking many nostalgic chords for the first years of my time in Austin, is really most reminiscent of French movies from the 60s...think Goddard before you think of anything from the Lone Star state. Its rambly direction is charming, and it is ultimately endearing if imperfect.Ramble on... - MPots
This is another film similar to "The Waking Life" (both are written and directed by Richard Linklater), in which a string of different characters rambles through a series of tangentially-related events while providing opinions, insights and just plain ramblings on the meaning of life.
In this case, the specific subject is the meaning of life in Texas in the late eithties/early nineties. The "Slacker" life is portrayed as a lifestyle choice, an active choice that someone might make to live outside the structures and strictures of capitalist/consumerist society.
Slacker is by no means an exceptional or brilliant film, but I suppose it succeeeds on its own terms. Many of the hallmarks and trademarks of Linklater's later (and better) films such as "Dazed and Confused" and "Before Sunset" are here, such as quirky and interesting characters, interesting if drawn-out existential reflections and an amazing attention to detail and internal consistency -- almost like the film exists in reality but also in a universe unto itself.
quite good for a very low-budget film.
Member Reviews
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I'm glad I don't know these people - rnhaas
No plot, no main characters. This is more a documentary of a time and place, only the people are fictional. The concept is maddening until it grows on you. It takes a while to figure out what is going on but that is probably part of the point. Here is ...It's really French - jjlook
This movie, while striking many nostalgic chords for the first years of my time in Austin, is really most reminiscent of French movies from the 60s...think Goddard before you think of anything from the Lone Star state. Its rambly direction is charming, and ...Ramble on... - MPots
This is another film similar to "The Waking Life" (both are written and directed by Richard Linklater), in which a string of different characters rambles through a series of tangentially-related events while providing opinions, insights and just plain ramblings ...