I love love love this film. Susan Seidelman showing massive potential. Perhaps because this was her first film, we get to meditate within the extremely stark minimalism that so completely captures The Scene. Lots of reviewers have incorrectly alluded to the "punk rock" scene--this is NYC well past the heyday of '77. This is not the noisy brash Ramones-fueled mania of NYC punk rock; rather this is the entirely anodyne No Wave scene. And anodyne is what we get in Wren, the well-cast heroine.
Rather than dwell on the plot/theme, I find myself picking apart the amazing costume, set dressing, locations and music/score because Seidelman absolutely gets it right. And getting something as preciously cool as an underground fashion/art/music scene right is really difficult, yet Seidelman, with refreshing restraint, really lives within this world.
Wren's whole look is so spot on--her skinnyness, choppy red hair, statement shades and those clothes...that iconic first look with the vinyl herringbone mini with colorblocked shell and belt, ripped fishnets and Capezio "character" dance shoes is exactly what a downtown army of cool chicks was wearing back then. Her other outfits let you know how important style is to the superficial Wren, and to that whole world of No Wave hipsters who haunt the Peppermint Lounge.
Lee Quinones is credited with graffiti, and the van as well as the wall behind it serve as super minimal set dressing that perfectly ties in with the mood. I also love it when Wren does her own graffiti, spraypainting her name with a long tail leading to a paint-circled flyer with her image--very cool.
The music is memorable as well--I'd love to get my hands on a soundtrack. Besides the Feelies' score, there are so many great tracks, especially the Richard Hell/Voidoids track, and one of my all-time favorite NYC No Wave bands, ESG with "Moody". That hypnotic song practically defines that era.
Reading the credits is great fun, as Seidelman gathered a cast of thousands of downtown/Village denizens for both acting and production roles. It is this skill for gathering together this kind of hard-to-find talent from outside the film industry to create something 100% authentic that makes Seidelman such a good director; her instincts in this first outing are solid.
Rather than dwell on the plot/theme, I find myself picking apart the amazing costume, set dressing, locations and music/score because Seidelman absolutely gets it right. And getting something as preciously cool as an underground fashion/art/music scene right is really difficult, yet Seidelman, with refreshing restraint, really lives within this world.
Wren's whole look is so spot on--her skinnyness, choppy red hair, statement shades and those clothes...that iconic first look with the vinyl herringbone mini with colorblocked shell and belt, ripped fishnets and Capezio "character" dance shoes is exactly what a downtown army of cool chicks was wearing back then. Her other outfits let you know how important style is to the superficial Wren, and to that whole world of No Wave hipsters who haunt the Peppermint Lounge.
Lee Quinones is credited with graffiti, and the van as well as the wall behind it serve as super minimal set dressing that perfectly ties in with the mood. I also love it when Wren does her own graffiti, spraypainting her name with a long tail leading to a paint-circled flyer with her image--very cool.
The music is memorable as well--I'd love to get my hands on a soundtrack. Besides the Feelies' score, there are so many great tracks, especially the Richard Hell/Voidoids track, and one of my all-time favorite NYC No Wave bands, ESG with "Moody". That hypnotic song practically defines that era.
Reading the credits is great fun, as Seidelman gathered a cast of thousands of downtown/Village denizens for both acting and production roles. It is this skill for gathering together this kind of hard-to-find talent from outside the film industry to create something 100% authentic that makes Seidelman such a good director; her instincts in this first outing are solid.