Harmony Corinnedirector spring Breakers AND Gummo, always looking for experiments. As he himself said about his latest film: Agro Dr1ft, he didn’t want to make a film, but what would happen after the films. An experiment in inventing new ways of making images and discovering ways of telling stories. His latest feature, which combines psychedelia, video games and video art, was presented out of competition at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.
Agro Dr1ft combines video games and mythology
The film’s protagonist is Bo, the world’s deadliest hitman, who desperately searches for his target in the violent and out-of-control nights of Miami to destroy him. The world seen through the eyes of this killer is completely crazy, a world in which madness and violence are raging. The main character has a mission: to eliminate his targets, the embodiment of evil, and kill those who deserve it. A dichotomous world where there is only earth and hell, where good and evil are two separate spheres, but the border between them is very thin, but no one is truly saved.
Are you ready to go on a journey led by Harmony Korine?
The one who decides to watch Agro Dr1ft should know this It’s not about history. We are faced with what Harmony Korine has defined as “fluid storytelling” where it is not dialogue that moves the story forward, but the vibrations that images and words can create. The result is a stunning visual and auditory experience.: Aggro Dr1ft pushes the boundaries of experimentation to find a new way to create images. The images were captured entirely using thermal optics, with a touch of rotoscoping (very realistic animation) and visual effects added to the mix. It feels like you’re in GTA, but the direction is more reminiscent of video art.
What’s underneath the skin of Miami’s criminals?
The figures are shown in their fluorescent silhouettes with smoky edges and appear as demons in monstrous masks. We never see the faces of the main characters except their souls. There is no real dialogue, but thanks to this visual modality we can see what these characters are really hiding under their skin, find out whether we are facing angels or demons. Electronic music does the rest: the sound is an integral part of the experience and completes the work. What’s amazing about this experiment is that the sinuousness in which you enter this world: not only what you see, but also what you imagine enhances the experience. You are completely captivated, mesmerized, and feel as if you are witnessing something unique in that moment.
Aggro Dr1ft also features Travis Scott at work as an actor, but this isn’t the first time Harmony Korine and the rapper have collaborated. Harmony Korine actually co-directed with other directors. Big Circusvisual work shown during Travis Scott’s concert at the Circus Maximus in Rome.
Agro Dr1ft: assessment and conclusion
It is impossible to analyze Harmony Korine’s film as a classic fiction film. Aggro Dr1ft combines visual experimentation with the video game environment and is a sensory experience in every way. Only by accepting this nature can the experiment be appreciated.
Direction – 5
Scenario – 4
Photography – 5
Acting – 4
Sound – 4
Emotions – 4