Richard Linklater’s debut feature film Slacker, released in 1991, became something of a manifesto for Generation X (despite the fact that Linklater himself is a baby boomer).
The film, as is the case with a lot of Linklater’s work, has no real plot or characters. It is a series of vignettes of different residents of Austin, TX holding different intellectual discussions. In this regard, it is similar to his later work Waking Life (2001) (see my previous post), yet it differentiates itself by its mood. Slacker has a very playful, energetic feel to it. The different conversations are connected by space – that is, someone will leave one conversation and pick up another conversation with somebody walking by.
Other than that, there is no real link between the conversations. They range from philosophical meditations to political rants (not shying away from conspiracy theories either) to pop culture obsessions (one character attempts to sell an alleged pap smear from Madonna [the entertainer]). Placed together, the vignettes form a resonant impression of an unmotivated but intelligent generation. However, the film is not fettered by age – the spirit of the generation still echoes today, and probably echoes for anyone who was ever a bored 20-something.
Here is a trailer for the film: Slacker trailer
cahiersoncinema 