Culture

Classic Film

Despite those hours in Central, i still haven’t finished my assignments. I haven’t prepared for my exams and, now that I’m home, my Internet isn’t working. Naturally, I’m devastated. To distract myself from my first world problems, I’m currently reflecting on a more peaceful time – as in, four hours ago. The sun was setting and I was sitting on one of those comfy red chairs watching the cult classic Dazed and Confused. Take me back.

Set in 1976, Dazed and Confused is an incredibly nostalgic film, even for me and I wasn’t even born then. It’s the last day of high school, which means that next year’s group of seniors or, in our case, year 13 students, are on the prowl to initiate the incoming freshmen. Girls are forced to lie on the floor while who-knows-what is thrown on them, and the senior boys even indulge in a few car chases just so they can hit the butts of 14-year-old boys. Hazing at its finest. However, amongst all of the initiating, weed smoking, and beer drinking, some interesting topics are addressed. Neo-McCarthyism is brought up when Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London) is forced to sign a sheet for football that states he will not drink or do drugs, and Feminism is discussed in the girl’s toilets during an in-depth analysis of Gilligan’s Island.

Whenever I listen to Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane,” my mind drifts off to a seedy David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) leading the pack through a very cool-looking recreation centre. Though I can’t help but listen to the alarm bells going off in my head. Firstly, whose parents would ever let their 14-year-old daughter go to a party full of intoxicated 17-year-olds? Secondly, why isn’t anyone suspicious of Wooderson? Isn’t he, like, 30 and hanging out with teenagers? And thirdly, how does a 14-year-old kid not get ID’d when buying beer?

Aside from all of those concerns, Dazed and Confused deserves praise for not fulfilling the teen movie trope of love triangles and cliques. Its originality is endearing. I would definitely recommend watching it.