RED ROCKET

"For like three nights I slept on a fucking street. I slept in an alleyway. I used my shoes as a goddamn pillow. It's fucking bullshit. My neck was so sore. I got beat up. That's how this, all this happened, two homeless fuckers beat the shit out of me. They took everything, except my phone and my wallet. And the only reason they didn't get that is the cops showed up and arrested my ass." - Mikey Saber

From the dilapidated motel rooms in ‘The Florida Project’ to the denigrated sex working street corners in ‘Tangerine,’ Sean Baker transforms disparaged communities into emotionally charismatic playgrounds. Authentic in style and realistic in make, Baker’s films provide a magnifying glass into the microcosm of impoverished America, which characters we root for and stories we some how relate to. The most recent rampageous installment to his filmography ‘Red Rocket’ is no different.

‘Red Rocket’ centers around Mikey Saber, a washed up 5 time AVT award winning porn star, and his return to his hometown of Texas City, Texas. Penniless and run out of LA, Mikey begs his estranged wife to crash on her couch in exchange for being 'the man' around the house. Selling weed to make ends meet, manipulating neighbors, and sleeping with the high school locals, this selfish degenerate of man burns every bridge he crosses, and what follows is a chaotic, clusterfuck of a masterpiece.

Essentially ‘Red Rocket’ is a stream-of-consciousness film, which is always a hit or miss. Sometimes the message gets lost in the director's translation or subliminal themes in these types of films, and if not done properly, can seem pointless and boring. You need the right formula, and thankfully it feels like Sean Baker has successfully written one. The realism and accuracy that permeates from the narrative and directing throughout the film is unparalleled. The viewer is truly transported to a time and place that feels undisrupted or constructed.

The simplicity of characters interacting with little to no editing adds immensely to the purity and ambiance of the narrative. Baker realizes the authentic nature of putting real people in his films. Having personal history with the filming location and already embodying their specific character, these non-actors provide an un-scripted sincerity that further enhances the character development throughout the film. Focusing primarily on the script and letting the camera breathe from afar, Baker does a tremendous job not interfering with the unraveling exposition. The success of 'Red Rocket' lies in hiring these non-actors and editing to an almost hands-off point.

The strongest driving force in this film is Simon Rex’s performance. The character of Mikey Saber is a neurotic, manipulative, fast-paced egomaniac, and it’s hard to envision anyone else perfecting such a niche role. The intricacies of his character create a dichotomy within the viewership; you may hate how grimy and convoluted he is, and yet you're bewildered by how fascinated and drawn you are to his path of destruction. The nuances Rex adds to Mikey and the monologues he whips through in one breath creates the ultimate personality we love to hate.

Two corybantic hours later, ‘Red Rocket’ provides a cinematic journey through the unbridled lives of Texas’ lower class. Highlighting the lives of marginalized communities, this comedic tour-de-force delicately provides insight and aggressively grants awareness into stories that many find too taboo to be explored. Humans are not infallible and at the core of Baker’s films he demonstrates just that; the struggling, displaced people many try to eradicate from their thoughts and look down upon are still... human.