One of the most unpleasant films of 2013 is also one of its best, as Sophia Coppola’s gloriously repugnant fever dream of reckless excess, rampant insensitivity, and spiritual isolation is a disturbing and provocative look at the worst of what middle and upper-class teenage life can become at this specific moment in time. A lot of viewers had a kneejerk reaction of hatred towards this film, and while I understand the impulse, I think that kind of reaction is a shame, because as awful as much of what Coppola depicts here is, the ideas explored are incredibly important to modern America.
The real events that inspired the film – a group of teenagers who, between 2008 and 2009, robbed multiple celebrity houses in LA for upwards of $3 million in clothing, accessories, and cash – are in no way universal experiences, but the emotions and cultural influences that inspired them absolutely are. Coppola is interested in what happens when the instability of adolescence intersects with a culture overwhelmingly obsessed with materialism, a culture that has commodified fame as a packaged good, disconnected it from any sense of morality or individual identity, and placed it on a pedestal as something to strive for. Of course what comes out of that is horrible and monstrous – how could it not be? Refusing to look these problems in the face, refusing to engage with cultural discussions like this that very much need to happen, is a mistake, and I think The Bling Ring is a great launching point for the conversation, if only more people were willing to engage.
The Bling Ring is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. Read my full review of the film here.
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