Red Rocket - 💥💥💥

Director: Sean Baker 

Writers: Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch 
Release Date: 11th March 2022

Hot Rating: 💥💥💥

Red Rocket is, mostly, a testament to Sean Baker’s ability to balance voyeuristic visuals and intimately real relationships. Following the life of washed-up porn star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) as he returns to his estranged wife’s home in Texas, the film bounces from increasingly disastrous and awkward interactions until it reaches a somewhat anticlimactic conclusion. Though the film makes occasional references to Trump’s presidential campaign, these political undertones feel distracting against the reactionary narrative that Saber’s actions create, as well as the recurring noughties pop soundtrack. Rex is mesmerising as the lead in the way that he disturbs the peace of every set piece and character, specifically, a 17-year-old shop worker called Strawberry (Suzanna Son). Baker explores their troubled relationship at a distance, probing viewers’ moral compass as they become increasingly repulsed by Saber. It's an intriguing watch; a car crash (in every sense) that’s hard to turn away from.

Image: YouTube