A Hole in My Heart (2004) review

It's probably key to know that, for his ballot for the last Sight and Sound poll, Moodysson included Gummo on his list since this particular work is so deeply indebted to Harmony Korine. There isn't a 'plot' to much as a setup - four people willingly locked in an apartment, two adult males, an adult female and a teenager; the adults are busy making porno while the kid hides away in his room - and the major focus is not on the characters-as-people (which they aren't, exactly) than on the transgressions, both sexual (do we really want to see what people do for pleasure?) and cinematic (digital cameras galore plus a soundtrack by what sounds like :zoviet*france: remixing Autechre). Like Gummo, the film possesses a 'look at me' quality that's hard to defend, but it does, to its credit, carry with it the same essential theme as Moodysson's other films, namely the degradation of women by oppressive male forces and that of social outsiders coping with their outcast status. The way this fractured little chunk nestled itself in my subconscious was admittedly unexpected - immediate dismissal gave way to begrudging acceptance to disturbed (and curious admiration) - and though I'd be hard-pressed to call it a 'good film,' Moodysson's sadness for mankind is very real.