In 2013, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers hit theaters, revealing itself to be less the adolescent sex comedy promised by the trailers and more a neon spotlight on a certain less-celebrated segment of American society, dissected ruthlessly via contrasting depictions of sexuality, race, and class. It is also a love letter of sorts to Britney, drawing many of its aesthetic elements straight from her videos and personal life, and prominently featuring two of her biggest hits. More than anything else, though, Spring Breakers is a meta-meditation on young women’s understanding of themselves as constantly under scrutiny, always being consumable erotic objects for viewers of all kinds, and how they deal with that reality and occasionally succeed in subverting it.

Spring Breakers is easily one of my favourite movies released this year. It is too brilliant in its use of satirical contrast, too artful in its structure to be easily dismissed as a trashy exploitation flick. It very well deserves reflection, and this essay provides a fascinating perspective on understanding the film.

Also, using cleverly timed tumblr posts to publish an essay with embedded media is an awesome idea. What a strange world of publishing we live in…