We Survived ‘Baby Invasion’: Inside Harmony Korine’s Insane Experimental Film That Earned an 8.5-Minute Standing Ovation at Venice
Midnight screenings rarely come more fitting than “Baby Invasion,” Harmony Korine’s latest experimental, unconventional and video game-like assault on the senses, which had its world premiere on Saturday night in Venice to an 8.5-minute standing ovation.
The film served up a provocative array of unique visuals: We saw our heavily armed, baby-faced criminals torturing people, dancing to Burial’s thumping techno score, chopping up huge piles of coke and throwing up the middle finger while sitting on the toilet.
More from Variety
MPA Europe Chief Stan McCoy Talks Hollywood's Concerns as New EU Parliament Takes Charge
Luxbox Boards Religious Drama 'Marie & Jolie,' Starring Aïssa Maïga, Laetitia Ky (EXCLUSIVE)
Whatever it is we witnessed, the crowd seemed to lap it up. Once the hour and 20 minute movie wrapped, cheers erupted from the audience as Korine danced to the beat that soundtracked the credits. And it didn’t stop there: fans erupted into a chant of “Harmony! Harmony! Harmony!” as the director waved his arms as if to say, “More! More! More!”
At one point in the film, one of the many thousands of Twitch-style comments appearing in rapid fire on the left of the screen read “this plot deserves an Oscar.” While there are many things “Baby Invasion” deserves, an Oscar for its plot is probably not one of them.
Beyond its first-person shooter visuals, much of this “plot” was communicated through voiceover, which Korine said at a press conference was done by an ASMR aficionado he found on OnlyFans. A white rabbit was a central figure in the words spoken — perhaps a metaphor for the rich people the baby invaders were robbing, or a sign of good luck as they raided their way through mansions and yachts in Florida.
At a press conference earlier in the day, Korine doubled down on his recent misgivings about the film industry, telling reporters that Hollywood is “starting to crumble creatively.”
“Hollywood needs to encourage — they don’t need to, but they would be smart to — encourage the youth, the kids. Why we’re starting to see Hollywood crumble creatively is because they’re losing a lot of the most creative minds to gaming and to streaming,” he said. “They’re so locked in on convention and then all those kids who are so creative are now just going to find other pathways and go to other places because movies are no longer the dominant art form.”
Last year, Korine left audiences on the Lido in a state of shock and awe — and prompted several to walk out — with “Aggro Dr1ft,” shot entirely in infrared and featuring twerking strippers and demonic crime lords shouting: “Dance, bitch!” Still, the film received a 10-minute standing ovation at its midnight premiere, making it — unofficially, at least — the festival’s longest.
The standing ovation for “Baby Invasion” may not have matched that of “Aggro Dr1ft,” but that film’s excessive applause may have had something to do with its star, rapper Travis Scott, making his first major film role.
Korine has been coming to Venice since his early years as a filmmaking, screening his directorial debut, “Gummo,” at the fest in 1997. The film was not well received by critics at first, but later won a special mention from Venice’s FIPRESCI jury. “Spring Breakers” also had its world premiere at Venice in 2012, where it received the Future Film Festival Digital Award.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
