Harmony Korine’s five favourite films
When Harmony Korine was just 19, he was approached by photographer Larry Clark whilst skateboarding in New York. The young Korine was asked to write a script about skateboarders that incorporated a storyline about teenagers with AIDS, and he managed to complete the task in only three weeks. The result was Kids, a highly controversial film that was criticised for its use of underage nudity, highly unlikeable characters, and “nearly non-stop provocation,” with feminist scholar bell hooks critiquing the film’s regressive racial and gender politics.
Despite being met with much contention, Kids gained Korine widespread recognition, leading him to further filmmaking opportunities. His next project was Gummo, made on a $1.3 million budget with Korine acting as both writer and director. Another highly controversial piece of work, Gummo is a film you either love or hate.
Comprised of non-linear vignettes following multiple inhabitants of a tornado-stricken Midwestern town, the film is known for its strange cast of characters – mainly non-actors, and stomach-churning scenes, such as cats being drowned and spaghetti being eaten in a filthy bathtub. Korine does not sugar-coat any aspect of living in extreme poverty, making it a difficult yet eye-opening watch.
Since the late 1990s, Korine has continued writing and directing, continuing his experimental use of aesthetics and unapologetic exploration of unconventional, often taboo themes. He found further success with Julien Donkey-Boy starring frequent collaborator Chloe Sevigny, which was created in accordance with the Dogme 95 rules, making it the first non-European film to do so.
His 2012 film Spring Breakers, starring bikini-clad ex-child stars such as Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Benson was also met with much controversy, with the Guardian claiming that it “reinforce[d] rape culture” and objectified the female characters.
Korine is a highly contentious filmmaker, so it is no surprise that his list of favourite films has some rather unusual cuts. Over the years, Korine has given various different lists of his favourite films. In a 1999 interview with Dazed and Confused, the filmmaker lists two Terrance Malik pictures from the 1970s – Badlands and Days of Heaven as some of his favourite films. Furthermore, he cites two John Cassavetes films – A Woman Under the Influence and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, as well as Fat City by John Huston, and Dennis Hooper’s Out of the Blue.
However, in another interview he has cited the infamous Pam & Tommy Lee: Stolen Honeymoon sex tape as one of his favourite films, stating that “I remember seeing this in a Nashville movie theatre when it was first released in Dolby. I didn’t know what to expect. I still think it’s very underrated and misunderstood.”
The film was released without the couple’s consent after their electrician Rand Gauthier wanted revenge on the pair for refusing to pay him and apparently threatening him with a gun. Somehow, the film ended up being sold on VHS and DVD, and Korine once labelled it as his favourite Christmas movie.
A favourite that Korine frequently lists is Stroszek by Werner Herzog, who is a notable fan of the Gummo director, even starring in two Korine films – Julien Donkey-Boy and Mister Lonely. Korine labels Herzog as one of his filmmaking heroes, stating that “I watched Stroszek when I was about 13.”
Another film that Korine saw at a young age was Brewster McCloud by Robert Altman, a black comedy about a reclusive man that builds a pair of wings so he can fly. Korine states that “[A]fter I saw this film when I was a kid, I went hang-gliding with my next door neighbour and we crashed into an abandoned missile silo. My neighbour lost his right leg. This movie was a big influence on that.”
Korine also cites Battle in Heaven by Carlos Reygadas as a favourite, describing it as “next level.” The Mexican film is known for its provocation, which makes it an unsurprisingly choice for someone as daring as Korine.
Furthermore, the director has also cited Every Which Way But Loose starring Clint Eastwood as another favourite, stating that “It’s the first time I ever saw an orangutan drink beer out of a can.” Eastwood surprised audiences and critics alike when he starred in the offbeat comedy, despite being advised not to.
The film was critically panned, with Variety‘s review claiming that “this film is so awful it’s almost as if Eastwood is using it to find out how far he can go—how bad a film he can associate himself with.” Nevertheless, it seems like the film had a big influence on Korine. Talking about his life after directing Gummo, Korine said, “I felt like Clint Eastwood except you know, from a different time and different place. I’m thinking about the Clint Eastwood with the orangutan.”
However, the film that Korine always comes back to, stating it as his “favourite film of all time” is Pixote. Directed by Hector Babenco in 1981, the film explores the way delinquent youths are used by criminals to commit crimes on their behalf. Shot in a documentary-style, its influence on Korine is quite clear.
Amateur actors make up Pixote’s cast, who were cast based on their real-life experiences that closely-aligned with the characters, much akin to Gummo and Kids. The film has been described as “not for the weak of stomach,” much like Korine’s work. Pixote has also been labelled a favourite by filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and the Safdie brothers, yet it is Korine’s style that arguably bears the most resemblance to Babenco’s masterpiece.
Harmony Korine’s five favourite films:
- Brewster McCloud (Robert Altman, 1970)
- Pam & Tommy Lee: Stolen Honeymoon (Tommy Lee, 1998)
- Pixote (Hector Babenco, 1981)
- Battle in Heaven (Carlos Reygadas, 2005)
- Every Which Way But Loose (James Fargo, 1978)
