Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft: A Dying Medium’s Last Grasp

Sometime in the late 1990s, filmmaker Harmony Korine took on a project that still defines his artistic ambition. The abandoned documentary Fight Harm had Korine instigating brawls with random people on the streets of New York City. Korine’s latest film, Aggro Dr1ft, is meant to revolutionize filmmaking, according to the director. The film stars Jordi Mollà as BO, a masked hitman on a mission to take down a crime boss. What sets Aggro Dr1ft apart is its unique aesthetic, shot with infrared cameras and enhanced with AI technology and animation. However, despite Korine’s claims that Aggro Dr1ft represents a totally new form, it remains a movie in its basic essence.

In Aggro Dr1ft, the characters and dialogues feel outdated, reminiscent of video games from a bygone era. The infrared color scheme and modified spelling of the title further reinforce this feeling of datedness. It’s clear that Korine strives to shock audiences with something new, but fails to capture the spirit of innovation. Contrastingly, his previous works like Trash Humpers and Spring Breakers resonated with contemporary culture and reflected the respective spirit of their time.

While Aggro Dr1ft has its moments of astute and inventive Korine, the film overall falls short. It’s less of a sensory assault and more of a slog, with repetitive and alienating imagery. The lack of consistent excitement and fun, given the neon-orange Travis Scott smoking a blunt on a speedboat full of mercenaries, underscores the film’s failure to captivate its audience.

The post-movie ambitions of Aggro Dr1ft may be realized through alternative distribution methods. With rumors of self-distribution via the EDGLRD website, the film might find an audience in non-traditional settings like vintage RealPlayer windows, nightclubs during raves, or streaming platforms. While Korine may still carve out a fruitful role in pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling, Aggro Dr1ft falls short and fails to be that herald of a new era.

Source: ‘Aggro Dr1ft’ Is Built on AI and Video Games—Shouldn’t the Movie Be More Fun?