Watch Julien Donkey-Boy For Free

Good movie but grossly overrated

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Do not expect to be entertained, and do not expect to be overwhelmed by the aesthetic of this film. Julien Donkey Boy is no more beautiful than its subject. Harmony Korine, in directing and writing this film, has done exactly what he set out to do - he has created a concentrated dose of family life with schizophrenia. In saying that the experience is concentrated, what I mean is that the film uses exaggeration rather liberally in order to condense its somewhat impossibly defined subject matter. Although there are certainly interwoven story arcs for the main characters, there is no central plot, no linearity, no unfragmented reality. The film itself, therefore, is just a little unhinged.One of my older sisters was schizophrenic. You would have to condense a couple decades worth of her psychotic episodes into a couple of hours to get anywhere near the level of constant distress that is depicted in this film. I most closely related to the character of Pearl, Julien's pregnant sister, but recognized aspects of my own family in all of the characters. What I am trying to say is that there is certainly some truth to what this movie says and the archetypal characters portrayed, its truth may be hard to recognize if you haven't lived through it. Living with a schizophrenic will bring out and amplify your own nature - and if you are open to it, you will be a better person. It is also, however, fairly easy to allow the experience to overwhelm you. People who have never been exposed to schizophrenia in any but a superficial way will find most of the film's characters and vignettes very difficult to believe. I am pretty sure Korine knew this going in. Korine has portrayed schizophrenia in a sensitive and truthful, but nevertheless utterly disturbing and somewhat unrealistically condensed way. Every directorial decision is meant to create a sense of realism. The method is very effective, and the film is essentially successful. Julien intentionally and clearly positions its audience as voyeurs, using hand-held photography almost exclusively and allowing character- development (the bulk of the film) to dictate the pace and rhythm of every scene. All of the acting is superb, and although there are very few feel-good moments in this film, it may be somewhat cathartic for folks like me, and somewhat (painfully) enlightening for those who grew up in less dysfunctional, or more-traditionally dysfunctional, families.

Dogme films have been known to cause uproarious debate and dissent amongst cinephiles, as to the integrity, accuracy, and adherence to the Dogme rules and intellect. It mirrors almost a cult or religion, (hence where the terminology "Dogme" derives). With this parallel in thought, it is easy to determine the movie's constituents. Not everyone is going to accept the Dogme ideals nor its products, just as Budhism, Christianity, Islam, etc...You might think me pretentious or almost myopic to equivocate movies with cults or religions, but it's not too far off, especially Dogme. Well in this church of film-making, I consider myself a devout. I worship these shrines of inspiring, super-realist, examples of divine human contemplation and visual harmony.The reverend deserves at least some if not most of the credit, Harmony Korine, whose earlier sermons include the screenplay KIDS, and Gummo. The use of video here demonstrates a pure, visceral observation of a family's interaction to their schizophrenic sibling, Julien, played masterfully by Ewen Bremner. The patriarch of the family, Werner Herzog, does a believably eccentric adaptation of his own psycho-anatomy.Upon my first viewing of this film, I thought it was a documentary on a real life schizophrenic (due to Ewen Bremner's brilliant vocation of repressing his Scottish tongue to affect a uber-convincing accent that would put fellow Trainspotter Mcgregor to shame). Chloe Sevigny does an impressive job also with the ambiguous pregnancy.This film sneaks up on you until you watch it and tell all your indie friends about it, but it stays on your shelf, because it is too powerful to watch everyday, even though you secretly want to review it. (see Requiem for a Dream, American History X, Dancer in the Dark, Magdalene Sisters, Naked Lunch). Go rent this film at least once, If you've at least gone to church once, go to this MASSive example of purist film-making via Harmony.

I have read a lot of comments calling this film "Art", actually recommending it. There is no "Art" to be found in Julien, just a dizzying waste of my time. The camera work and sound make it pretty much unwatchable, I felt sick at times watching it on a big screen. I get that Harmony Korine did this on purpose to have us feel disorientated, like Julien feels all the time, but he takes it way to far and created a horrible looking mess.I liked Gummo, it was one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen, so I was very much looking forward to Julien Donkey-Boy, I was very disappointed.If Julien Donkey-Boy is what is passing for "Art" these days, I am out of touch with society. Everyone who thought this film was actually good, try watching it sober and without the drugs. Hopefully Harmony will get off the smack too when and if he makes another film.Art or complete crap? If it smells and looks like crap, it probably is crap. At the very best it is extremely crappy art.

it's sad you guys are so stuck in the dream that all movies must be told in strict refined narratives. the same way films have been told since damn D.W. Griffith. now yes, there are still great films that are told in regular Hollywood fashion, but julien-donkey boy doesn't do that. and in showing just snippets of the life of this messed up family, you get the idea, of how bad things are, and start to partially get inside their heads. the films itself: when werner herzog is getting his haircut. the jump cuts the blurring colored walking scenesthey reflect juliens alternate view on the world. and how messed up his mind actually is.i'm sorry you people can't deal with the fact that juliens mind isn't as normal as yours. but in film terms, i think harmonys take on schizophrenia was much better than oh, Hollywood's of "a beautiful mind"!!! because good god, if you thought that portrayed it better, then apparently you just have no love for creativity.