Taking a harsh look at the lack of consequence for mindless living
One of the benefits of the Cine-Rama, Chattanooga’s art house theater now on hiatus as they attempt to find more permanent housing, was that they brought somewhat unknown films to a wider Chattanooga audience. These films were not always exclusive screenings—many times, the films found at the Cine-Rama were available elsewhere, or at least would be soon enough.
There are those in the film community that see this as a drawback. They believe that new films should belong to them alone and if the folks at the Cine-Rama can’t provide an exclusive experience, then what’s the point? But curating is as much a part of the responsibility of theaters as bringing in new cinema.
There are some of us who love movies that simply don’t have the time to haunt independent or genre film message boards looking for the latest in the strange and the wonderful. The Cine-Rama often offered films that were off the beaten path, films that might have had a wide interest, but due to the short screening schedule, were impossible to see.
White Girl, now available on Netflix, is one of those films. Offered some months ago, before the Cine-Rama took a break, it was promised to be a mind blowing film that audiences wouldn’t soon forget. While it isn’t necessarily mind blowing, it does have a way of lingering in the recesses of the psyche, thanks in part to a very compelling ending sequence. It’s not an enjoyable film, exactly, but a fascinating one nonetheless.
Leah is a young woman from Oklahoma City who has moved to New York City for school. As with most newcomers to the city, decent neighborhoods are beyond her grasp and she and her roommate are forced to rent an apartment in Queens.
It must be a particularly bad neighborhood, seeing as she is able to afford a two-bedroom apartment as a college student, but my sister and her husband, both professionals, live in Queens and effectively live in a closet. But I digress.
Leah interns for a trendy magazine of some sort, working for free, while she waits on classes to begin. A few notes about Leah: she is, by all accounts, a big fan of illicit drugs and casual sex. The drugs, more than the sex, seem to really suit her fancy. The sex is merely a byproduct of lots of cocaine.
Her risky behaviors lead to finding herself in a multitude of sketchy situations, like engaged in an office tryst with her boss whom she just met and inviting the drug dealers from the corner into her apartment to hang out.
This is how she meets Blue, the good looking apparent leader of the corner crew, so named because he cries a lot. She develops an infatuation with Blue, what with his easy smile and pockets full of coke, and they begin a passionate, drug fueled relationship.
Before long, however, Blue is arrested for obvious reasons. Leah spends the remainder of the movie trying to get him out of jail, diving headfirst into both the legal system and the illicit drug trade with a bleary eyed blundering.
For much of the film, audiences may find themselves wondering just what point director Elizabeth Wood is trying to make. It’s a cavalcade of partying, nudity, and vapid decision making. There are certainly people in the world like Leah and her friends, but it’s hard to imagine there is much to say about them. This is where the brilliance of White Girl lies.
What comes blisteringly into focus at the end of the film is that most of the people in the film suffer no consequences for their actions. Only Blue, who is arguably the moral center of the film, is punished for his belief in fate, honesty, and what passes for traditional values among drug dealers.
Leah, by the virtue of her ethnic and economic background, can ruin the lives of everyone around her and still go on with her life. The film leaves the audience wondering if Leah learned anything from her ordeal.
Films like White Girl are the reason we need the Cine-Rama in Chattanooga. Without it, I wouldn’t have known about this film and not have the opportunity to consider the themes found therein.
Hopefully, the folks at the Cine-Rama find a home soon. It’s good to have a signpost pointing the way to quality experiences.