Did you know they still have punk rockers in France? In 'Punk' a young garçon spends time with a bunch of them as a way of putting distance between himself and his slovenly mother (Béatrice Dalle, who looks more like a Los Bros Hernandez drawing each time I see her). But does he really fit in with the anarchic crowd? And is his relationship with his mother really that bad? The characters, and the situations they are in, are not black and white and that adds to the film's believability. But at the same time there seems little point to it; the main character stumbles from one situation to another while the viewer looks for the beginning, middle and end. I would have appreciated a bit more structuring. But that said, I would watch the film again - and that's got to be a mark of success!
3 Reviews
A coming-of-age drama
PoppyTransfusion4 January 2013
Punk portrays the rites of passage from boy to man of Paul (Paul Bartel), a 16-year old boy who lives with his single mother in social housing in a city suburb. His father left his mother a long time ago and Paul has no contact with him. Paul and his mother (Beatrice Dalle) have a fractured relationship; at times close and intimate, sometimes too much so for Paul, and at other points filled with anger and rage.
Paul ingratiates himself with a group of punks and through their life style and music he begins the inevitable process of separating from his mother, attempting to contact his father, losing his virginity and living his rage. The film does not offer any easy resolution: As it ends so too have some of Paul's endeavours but his story is far from finished.
This is the second film from Jean-Stephane Sauvage; his first being Johnny Mad Dog, a chronicle of boy soldiers in West Africa and made authentic by Sauvage's use of ex-boy soldiers for the key characters. Johnny Mad Dog was filled with clamour and confusion and so too is Punk at times filled with clamour and confusion. But Punk is more introspective and less emotionally ragged as it focuses on Paul and his internal world. Sauvage once more employs non-actors in Punk; recruiting actual punk kids for this production and inserting his actors into live punk gigs for some scenes. The strength of the film rests with Bartel who delivers an accomplished performance as Paul, which given he was 16 when he played Paul underlines his talent and maturity as an actor in his second feature. Surely one to watch for the future.
The film works because of the strength of performances (from Dalle and Marie-Ange Casta too) and its exuberance. Whilst not ragged in the way that Johnny Mad Dog was, Punk is brash and aims more for authenticity of feeling than slickness of production. Both of Sauvages's films have an aimlessness about them, which at times is unsatisfying, however, the truth is that much activity in daily life is aimless. If you wish to get close to the experience of a person's life whether that of a 12-year old boy soldier or a 16-year old punk then this is part of that process.
Paul ingratiates himself with a group of punks and through their life style and music he begins the inevitable process of separating from his mother, attempting to contact his father, losing his virginity and living his rage. The film does not offer any easy resolution: As it ends so too have some of Paul's endeavours but his story is far from finished.
This is the second film from Jean-Stephane Sauvage; his first being Johnny Mad Dog, a chronicle of boy soldiers in West Africa and made authentic by Sauvage's use of ex-boy soldiers for the key characters. Johnny Mad Dog was filled with clamour and confusion and so too is Punk at times filled with clamour and confusion. But Punk is more introspective and less emotionally ragged as it focuses on Paul and his internal world. Sauvage once more employs non-actors in Punk; recruiting actual punk kids for this production and inserting his actors into live punk gigs for some scenes. The strength of the film rests with Bartel who delivers an accomplished performance as Paul, which given he was 16 when he played Paul underlines his talent and maturity as an actor in his second feature. Surely one to watch for the future.
The film works because of the strength of performances (from Dalle and Marie-Ange Casta too) and its exuberance. Whilst not ragged in the way that Johnny Mad Dog was, Punk is brash and aims more for authenticity of feeling than slickness of production. Both of Sauvages's films have an aimlessness about them, which at times is unsatisfying, however, the truth is that much activity in daily life is aimless. If you wish to get close to the experience of a person's life whether that of a 12-year old boy soldier or a 16-year old punk then this is part of that process.
Brillant
niclasmatcha18 December 2023
A current rating of less than six stars on IMDB is incomprehensible to me.
I love this film for portraying punk as the subculture that it is; tough, youthful, rebellious and fighting back.
Punk shows that being punk doesn't mean being a victim or worth less than others.
I like the raw tone of the film and the coldness of the street blocks. I like the film's portrayal of a youth caught between family adversity, violence, drugs, punk rock and sexual discovery, love.
I like that real and well-known bands are involved. And I admire the actors' performances, especially Paul Bartel, of course.
Punk, one of my absolute favourites.
I love this film for portraying punk as the subculture that it is; tough, youthful, rebellious and fighting back.
Punk shows that being punk doesn't mean being a victim or worth less than others.
I like the raw tone of the film and the coldness of the street blocks. I like the film's portrayal of a youth caught between family adversity, violence, drugs, punk rock and sexual discovery, love.
I like that real and well-known bands are involved. And I admire the actors' performances, especially Paul Bartel, of course.
Punk, one of my absolute favourites.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
