He sets about to make some hardscrabble profits from selling weed, one spliff at a time. In his travels, he comes across the fresh-faced young thing Strawberry (Suzanna Son) working behind the counter of a doughnut shop. He proceeds to seduce her with his bad-boy charm. What at first seems innocent enough soon turns dark as his intentions become clear.

The film presents that feeling of being repulsed by its characters as their world is a grotty one and their actions almost always have an undercurrent of malice. Like the feeling of not being able to look away from a car accident, you get drawn into their actions both good and bad. On paper, they seem repulsive but in the flesh, they become strangely intoxicating.

Sean Baker continues on the loser porn route he set about with The Florida Project and fills his work with perfectly cast non-actors that sell the feeling of disadvantage. If the intent is to make you feel better about yourself in comparison, job well done. If it’s to elicit a sense of concern for the vastly increasing underclass in America, job also accomplished. It’s this duality that is at the heart of Baker’s art.

Rob Hudson
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Red Rocket is directed by Sean Baker and stars Simon Rex, Bree Elrod and Suzanna Son.

Red Rocket releases in Australia, only in cinemas, on January 6, 2022.
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