MovieChat Forums > The Doom Generation (1995) Discussion > this may sound dumb, but does this movie...

this may sound dumb, but does this movie...

posted 16 years ago by ThatSoapsALittleHard
4 replies | jump to latest

make anyone else sad?

I know it's a completely ridiculous and over the top movie, and I like that about it (a lot of people don't, but I guess that's just personal tastes). But by the time it's over and "WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY GREGG ARAKI" shows on the screen, I always feel sorta sad and nostalgic.

This movie captures the spirit of the 90s so perfectly, the way Dazed and Confused captured the 70s. I'm not saying it was realistic or anything. I just mean the whole "spending all your time in convenience stores and record shops" culture. I was a teen in the 90s in a vast suburban area and in a lot of ways the "doom generation" label is perfectly apt. Let's face it, the way this country's going, my generation IS cursed! We're still trying to clean up after the mess we inherited, and trying to start our lives at the dawning of a recession and a backwards government ! No wonder we're so pissed!!!

Haha, anyway, at the end (SPOILERS) when Amy and Xavier are in the car without Jordan and Amy has to go on living in this postapocalyptic hell of a wasteland without her boyfriend, it just makes me feel oddly nostalgic and depressed. I guess it's the combination of the last shot of Amy, the music, the smily face on the hood of the car, and the final bird's eye shot of the freeway.

Anyone else feel the same?

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] goobikza 16 years ago

Nostalgia describes a longing for the past, often idealized.

So I'm not sure how you could be so nostalgic for a time you describe so bleakly. I don't mean to be overly critical here, but if you were a teenager in the 90s, how could you know that Dazed and Confused captured the 70s perfectly?

And while I'm on a roll here...jeezus, nothing drives me crazier than hearing some whiny 90s angst ridden complaint machine prattling on about how their generation was the first ones to have it bad. As I recall, the 90s were pretty easy The Soviet Union was gone and the terrorists hadn't really figured out how to hurt us yet), and the only problems kids faced are ones they created for themselves. At least you didn't have to live under the threat of nuclear annihilation breathing down your necks, like kids did in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s (party like it's 1999), so please forgive me for not feeling you on this one.

And postapocalyptic means after the bomb falls, typically.

[–] danixdefcon5 16 years ago

Teens in the 90's were kids in the 80's, like me. I did live the nuclear threat, I was 11 when the Soviet Union went down. Still, the problem in the 90's was more or less an identity crisis, as there was basically nothing for kids/teens to hang on, no real ideals. The result: kids like these ones.

Lots of generations had it bad before, I'd say you can track it back since the 70's. Though I think that every "new" iteration of angst-ridden teens do seem to take a turn for the worse, just watch the current teen trends. I can't remember of any previous timeframe when "being depressed" was "cool", as it is now with the (commercial) emo stuff.

[–] pablowarner 16 years ago

Not dumb at all - I felt exactly the same way