The phrase “distinctive” is incessantly overused by movie critics as a crutch to outline one thing quirky we might have points describing. However, if there’s one movie on the market that deserves to be praised for its uniqueness, that will be Hello Dankness, an excellent ode to the facility re-editing has to alter which means and reorganize a narrative. So, on this case, I’m not ashamed of embracing the cliché and saying you have by no means seen a movie fairly like this one earlier than.
Developed over the course of 4 years by Dan and Dominique Angeloro, also referred to as the artistic duo Soda Jerk, Hello Dankness is totally constructed from samples of flicks, public speeches, well-known songs, and even memes. They are then stitched collectively to create a vivid illustration of American tradition earlier than and after the 2016 elections. Pushing the boundaries of what a documentary might be, Soda Jerk tries to doc the political zeitgeist of a tortuous interval of human historical past, when web tradition grew to become a software for use by the wealthy and highly effective to amass energy as they’ve by no means performed earlier than. In this digital panorama, photographs are recombined and recycled to convey concepts which have actual political results. Therefore, there isn’t a higher option to discover the topic then to faucet into the identical uncooked materials that defines our discourse.
It’s with this readability concerning the new guidelines of the political sport that Soda Jerk crafts a hilarious however extremely poignant evaluation of what occurred within the US and the world earlier than, throughout, and after Donald Trump‘s election as president. In the method, they go away no stone unturned. Yes, their criticism consists of the resurgent evil of white supremacists making an attempt to combat a world that helps variety. At the identical time, it additionally throws punches at liberals who rejoice empty advertising gestures of inclusiveness whereas nonetheless contributing to the inhuman therapy staff obtain inside massive firms. On each side of the political spectrum, the pragmatism of on a regular basis motion has been slowly changed by easy-to-consume concepts that flow into by memes. It’s a cinematic achievement that Soda Jerk not solely understood the small print of this course of however have additionally managed to embody the identical logic by way of their movie.
For simply over an hour, we witness an excellent deconstruction of cinema historical past, as basic films are lower down and put collectively to inform an unique story. From PEN15 to Robocop by Zombieland and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Soda Jerk goes by dozens of movies and tv episodes body by body. They add small overlays to assist inform the story of Trump’s election and the style through which we course of advanced feelings by joking about them. That’s why Vladimir Putin turns into the Phantom of the Opera whereas Sausage Fest is used to debate gender conflicts.
It’s wild that Soda Jerk determined to courageous the perils of copyright regulation to place a movie collectively that feels at residence on the silver display screen, despite the fact that it attracts inspiration from the language we normally see on social media. Hello Dankness can also be a testomony to how enhancing can change how we understand photographs, because the film shifts the contexts of iconic cinema moments and turns them into one thing fully totally different. If we evaluated Hello Dankness for its experimental worth alone, Soda Jerk would already deserve a standing ovation.
The duo dives headfirst into a few of the wildest tendencies which have emerged on the web previously few years, together with the weird conspiracy principle that claimed Microsoft was truly behind the unfold of COVID. They additionally query the shaky happiness liberals felt with the election of President Joe Biden who was removed from being the proper substitute for Trump. It looks as if nothing is free from Soda Jerk’s acid evaluation of recent politics, and people who find themselves used to exploring the web jungle could have a continuing adrenaline rush by discovering hidden particulars in every body that sheds gentle on an obscure meme or reference.
With that being mentioned, the movie can demand lots from the viewers. To totally perceive the masterful work Soda Jerk did with Hello Dankness, one should bear in mind the web grew to become fascinated with a gorilla named Harambe and {that a} inexperienced frog all of the sudden grew to become the image of right-wing extremism. Memes are so environment friendly within the political sphere as a result of they’re quick, emotional, and shortly fall into obscurity to let new parcels of knowledge rise from the darkish corners of the web. As a end result, viewers who aren’t on top of things on the newest meme tendencies will in all probability really feel misplaced and bombarded by the web overload of Hello Dankness.
However, do not maintain this towards the film. Yes, Hello Dankness makes use of a selected language which may alienate a part of the general public. But any try and make the film extra accessible would diminish the mesmerizing impact of watching a feature-length meme. Besides that, Soda Jerk is aware of how demanding a screening of Hello Dankness may be, in order that they saved the runtime at a decent 70 minutes. That means the film by no means overstays its welcome, which solely helps Hello Dankness to stay a recent and unforgettable cinematic expertise.
Rating: A
Hello Dankness had its worldwide premiere at 2023’s Berlin Film Festival.