Harmony Korine has never been one for tradition, and his latest endeavor, AGGRO DR1FT, is no exception. Setting the stage at Los Angeles’ Crazy Girls instead of a film festival, Korine’s infrared-soaked fever dream redefines what a film premiere is all about, pushing the boundaries of where the movie ends and the after-party begins.
The director’s unique style has long been viewed as an acquired taste. For those who found Spring Breakers unconventional in nature, AGGRO DR1FT pushes Korine’s disregard for cinematic norms to a new extreme. In this film, Korine’s looping dialogue returns in full force, with certain phrases playing a key role in the film’s dreamy and hypnotic rhythm. AGGRO DR1FT challenges the norms, and seems to be Korine’s commentary on where he believes entertainment may be headed next within a digital reality.
DR1FT charges headfirst into the unknown, favoring experimentation over convention. At times, it feels Harmony is exploring its meaning alongside the audience, creating a an atmosphere open to interpretation. Everything about the film is abrasive, from the pounding soundtrack to its unique infrared visuals. Characters in AGGRO DR1FT brandish guns pointed at the camera, caged dancers perform under the gaze of the film’s villain, Toto, and supercars tear down Miami’s neon streets. AGGRO DR1FT is an unrelenting fever-dream, offering audiences a visceral look into Korine’s technicolor world.
AGGRO DR1FT’s loose throughline centers on BO, portrayed by Jordi Mollà, who deems himself, “The World’s Greatest Assassin.” DR1FT aims to capture a, video game-like aesthetic, with repeating dialogue oftentimes drowned out by the film’s intense score. The result is a unique sensory experience that challenges audiences to engage beyond narrative & experience the feeling itself. It’s easy to just get lost in the music and atmosphere of it all, and that’s exactly what Harmony Korine intended. The club screens pulsed with the infrared imagery of the director’s latest work, while its blaring soundtrack blended together the screening and listening party experiences.
After the film, the AGGRO DR1FT experience continued into an over-the-top after-party. Soundtrack composer AraabMuzik took the stage first matching the movie’s relentless energy with a DJ set. Later in the night, I found myself face-to-face with Korine himself, as he performed behind the decks sporting one of the film’s signature masks. The event also featured exclusive merchandise, which included hoodies, t-shirts, hats and skate decks branded with Korine’s EDGLRD logo.
AGGRO DR1FT refuses to conform to any single category. It’s part film, part sensory experiment, and a little bit of everything in between. With his latest work, Harmony Korine once again proves his unapologetic ability to push into new spaces and subvert expectations. While the film’s unconventional may catch some off-guard, it feels like the natural evolution for a filmmaker that’s known to be anything but the norm. AGGRO DR1FT is Korine’s vision of what cinema’s future may look like, and even if its not, it remains an engaging experiment from a director determined to reinvent the wheel, or at least drown it in infrared.
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