Julien Donkey-boy

The first American entry to Dogma 95 is the second feature for Harmony Korine who faithfully embraces the manifesto by improvising scenes, shooting digitally, only using available light and minimal post-sound. “Julien Donkey-boy” also utilizes the loose narrative (or non-narrative) structure of his controversial feature debut “Gummo” (1997), offering a series of randomly connected vignettes in the life of an ‘average’ American family. Ewen Bremner plays the title character, a child-like schizophrenic whom we first see as he murders a young boy, then promptly goes home and forgets about it. Korine serves up an uncomfortable portrait of family life for Julien: a dictatorial father who is prone to wearing a gas mask (played with glee by director Werner Herzog), his sister, Pearl (Chloe Sevigny), who is pregnant with Julien’s baby and a young wrestling obsessed brother (Evan Neumann) whose father pays him to dress up in his dead mother’s clothes. The films loose style and roving camera makes it feel uncomfortably documentary like at times, while the films grainy, ‘no-frills’ look produces some surprisingly haunting and beautiful images. Cast also includes Joyce Korine and Chrissy Kobylak.