Slacker (97 minutes)
Perhaps human beings aren’t meant to be happy and free all the time. We enslave ourselves constantly.
Richard Linklater created some of my favorite films of all time (Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some!!, Before Sunset, A Scanner Darkly) and yet, I haven’t covered him here. So we’re starting back at the beginning with Slacker (1990). You may remember I briefly mentioned this one in my Office Space post in reference to the entire slacker “movement” of the 1990s. Linklater is often credited with being the first to capture the Gen-X zeitgeist on film, and for leading the way for the movies that came after.
Slacker takes place during a 24-hour period in the university area of Austin, Texas. Comprised of roughly 25 different scenes and micro-scenes, the movie follows various characters throughout a typical day, without lingering too long on any one character. There is no lead, no main plot. Unless of course you count the city of Austin itself. For the most part, the characters are recent college graduates who are adrift, but we do meet eccentric characters of all ages throughout.
Slacker can be hard to watch if you’re most familiar with traditional storytelling. We move away from stories just as we get to know the characters, and just when we are most invested to know more about them. In one moment you’re with a couple fighting, then with the woman alone in a bookstore being dragged into a conversation about JFK assassination conspiracies, then following that conspiracist to meet his friends who are working on a car, who then leave him to head to a junkyard. And on and on. It is definitely rhythmic how we move from one to the next, but w’ere always guessing as to how long we’ll stay. Linklater captures the listlessness of his characters and insists you join in by forcing you to not care that much, and drift from person to person, story to story, like you’re at a great big party where you don’t really know anyone that well.
With Slacker we begin to see the makings of Linklater’s signature (and often unconventional) style of direction and storytelling. It was his second feature length film, but his first big success. It was made for $22,000 in 1989 and just about broke even on opening weekend, over time however, it grew to be a success making $1.2 million worldwide. Linklater is best known for eschewing strict plot points and instead focusing on people, their daily lives, and what they have to say about anything and everything. In fact, his filmmaking style echoes the same themes as Slacker so closely that it’s hard to separate the two. Linklater, even now, is considered a primary voice for the Gen-X generation (even though he is a boomer himself). Both Linklater and the characters of Slacker agree: who needs a plot when there is life to live?
My favorite thing about Slacker (and other Linklater films for that matter) is how the mundane, the philosophical, and the painful are equally weighted the same. The woman determined to sell Madonna’s pap smear in a jar (played by Teresa Taylor of the punk band Butthole Surfers) is given the same attention and care as the woman who profoundly proclaims, “Perhaps human beings aren’t meant to be happy and free all the time. We enslave ourselves constantly.” An old man mourning his youth walks through the early morning hours of the day recording himself. A group of kids have figured out how to get free cokes out of the machine. Heartbroken, a guy throws a typewriter into a stream at the behest of his friends. A man hits his mother with a car. Another can’t enjoy the coffee shop because it’s full of weirdos. All of these stories take place on the same day and all are important to the fabric of city life.
But it’s not all chaos. There is a crafted line of continuity throughout the movie that I sum up as “The True Call”. A concept introduced about halfway through the movie by the hitchhiker character:
He tells the interviewers that he’ll get a job once he hears “the true call”. And in a way a lot of Linklater’s characters are doing the same thing… waiting around for something to move them, change them, encourage them. Because for the slacker, there is nothing worth working for or trying for, and until that changes, they’re just gonna stand by and wait. And wait. Tied to this is also the anti-capitalist sentiments that permeate the film. The hitchhiker continues, “Every single commodity you produce is a piece of your own death.”
This of course reminds me of the moment I already shared earlier, “We enslave ourselves constantly” a woman at a bar says. She goes on to explain that every time we feel free, we find a way to enslave ourselves with relationships, jobs, and commitments. She’s convinced that humans don’t want to be free at all because we’re constantly seeking ways to tie ourselves down.
I know, it seems like there is a lot of heavy, profound thought in this movie. You’re not going to love every scene and you may even hate some moments, and that’s totally fair. I certainly had this experience, too. But you can stress about it, or let it gently wash over you scene by scene, taking what you want, and leaving what you don’t. This is a movie you can pick and choose what to take home with you. Sort of like the characters playing with Oblique Strategies, a deck of cards meant to promote creativity. A man pulls a card that says, “It’s not building a wall, it’s making a brick.” You don’t need consume every thought of Slacker, but you can consider where you want to start.
PS - anyone can now play Oblique Strategies via this active web version. Today I pulled “Remember quiet evenings…” and I, hey, maybe I will.
I miss the Independent movies of the 80’s and 90’s. I haven’t seen Slacker in years. Perhaps, it is time for me to revisit it.
Love this film and great review of it! I've been a huge fan of Slacker for a long time and had the videotape of it in the mid 90s. I got the Criterion edition the first day it was available (back in 2006...I need to upgrade my DVD to BluRay :) ), and I couldn't even count how many times I've seen it. As someone who is in Gen X, I'm proud that Slacker is so closely associated with it. Same with Richard Linklater's Before films, Waking Life, Tape, and even Suburbia (I need to watch the last 2 of those again as it's been a long time). For filmmakers today, Linklater is right up there with the best.