The “sexiest pick-up scene” in movie history, according to Chloë Sevigny
In a career that began with appearances in music videos from Sonic Youth and The Lemonheads to discussing the intricacies of acting with renowned thespian Kim Kardashian, it’s been an interesting career for Chloë Sevigny, to say the least.
Starting out her career as a model, Sevigny didn’t even make her screen debut until 1995, but she didn’t waste any time establishing herself as one of independent cinema’s fastest-rising stars. While Hollywood did eventually come calling, Sevigny has always resisted the lure of making a full-time detour to Tinseltown.
The majority of her filmography may be comprised of American productions, but she’s never been seduced by the high-paying blockbuster gigs. In terms of its budget and star power, David Fincher’s Zodiac is comfortably the biggest film she’s been part of in terms of scale alone, but even then, she was the 15th-billed name in the sprawling ensemble cast of the crime thriller.
Sevigny could have chased those big paydays if she wanted to, but she’s always been driven more by artistry and craft than bank balance. There’s been the odd smattering of controversy along the way – most notably that infamous scene in The Brown Bunny – but that’s par for the course when an actor is seeking out Vincent Gallo, Lars Von Trier, and Harmony Korine as creative partners.
She’s been in plenty of movies that have gone on to achieve cult status long after the fact, so it’s only fair one of her own favourites occupies a similar position. Jonathan Kaplan’s 1979 coming-of-age drama Over the Edge didn’t make much of a splash during its initial release, but it’s gone on to become regarded as one of the more overlooked and unheralded youth-orientated tales of its era.
Zeroing in on the disaffected group of teenagers who inhabit a small town with nothing to offer them, the core characters decide the best way to make a living in New Granada worthwhile is to dabble in drugs and debauchery. When running afoul of the authorities leads to a trigger-happy sheriff and a bullet-wounded protagonist, a full-blown riot is soon on the cards.
As Sevigny explained to Le Cinema Club, Over the Edge is the epitome of “’70s Americana” and “teen suburban angst”, presented in a visual and aesthetic manner she could only describe as “all buttery”. Dairy-friendly comparisons aside, there was one aspect of the film she thinks it mastered better than any other picture.
The soundtrack captured the mood of a generation, featuring tracks including Ramones’ ‘Teenage Lobotomy’, Cheap Trick’s ‘Surrender’, and The Cars’ ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’, but one instance of song and sensuality stood out for Sevigny, who described the sequence featuring Van Halen’s cover of the Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me’ as cinema’s “sexiest pick-up scene”.
It’s entirely open to debate whether or not that’s the case, but for Sevigny, Over the Edge‘s pitch-perfect marriage of track and titillation hasn’t been bettered.
