MovieChat Forums > Lawn Dogs (1998) Discussion > Brilliant or utter filth?

Brilliant or utter filth?


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what kind of jackass says "discuss," offers nothing in an opening statement, and never contributes to the discussion?
Offhand, I'd say anyone who describes this movie as "utter filth" needs to unclench their ass just a bit, maybe go out on a limb and skip church this Sunday, and broaden the scope of the movies that they see--because clearly they've never seen "utter filth."

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Ahem!
First of all I have a very busy life. Second of all who are you to judge me? I merely started this discussion to see what it would turn into because I'm aware that some people will find this movie enjoyable and some will find it digusting. I'm glad this sirred up a very livevy discussion. Now, not that you deserve them, but here are my thoughts on the film. I thought it was brilliant. It may be extreme but the characters and fairytale-lesquw imagry weave the story together very well. I think there was a bit attraction but it was of the nonsequal type and I thought it very unwise to compare the film to Lolita or even suggest there was anything sexual between the Devon and Trent character. She liked the kind of person he was and the feeling was mutual. That is all there is to it.
I loved the film though it is extremely bizarre and would recommend it to anyone who likes a thought-provoking artsy type of film.
There now

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Why can't people let a film be what it (or its makers) want it to be?
It is so shallow for people to try to sum up and categorize films: Brilliant!, bizarre, a rip-off, filthy, a '7' out of 10, etc.

Brilliant or utter filth? If 1 hour and 41 minutes boils down to one word, I think the viewer has walled up himself/herself to where nothing gets through. It is why filmmakers have to frequently resort to practically "hammering" there points through to the audience. (A point someone earlier made.)

Hasn't it occurred to so many that maybe the filmmaker was toying with your own uneasiness with the suggestion of pedophilia? Maybe presenting it in this way was simply a way to expose those who can only see the perversion in relationships rather than the beauty without perversion. (And vice versa.)

Someone listed all sorts of metaphorical scenes. You could probably invent a perversion in everything if you try. People - and film critics - have been lauding filmmakers for years for lofty things they never intended.

Did having Sam Rockwell strip down and dive off a bridge do it for you? It did for some of the bystanders. The uneasy sexual tension in every character of this film was clearly provoking questions of the viewer.
But if the term "filth" was directed toward this sexual tension, I don't understand it. A "filthy" film is a broad adjective to use without qualification. It might be a word someone would use when they are disgusted at what they see. And when people are disgusted, they tend to ignore everything else and define it under that alone.

I think some of the best films are those that can be perceived in many ways by many people. Like music, some of the best melodies can be remade in entirely different genres and still be wonderful.

Spare us the foolish attempts at wrapping it all up in a nice little package so you can box it up in your whatever category. None of us are brilliant enough to judge how another perceives a film.

Vive le difference!

(And I really enjoyed the film too.)

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Very sweet movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

One thing it definitely reminded me of was how the adult world tends to sexualize about everything. rromanetti's comment about the chainsaw painfully testifies that.

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One thing it definitely reminded me of was how the adult world tends to sexualize about everything. rromanetti's comment about the chainsaw painfully testifies that.

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You do have a point,but i do think this movie had quasi-pedo content.
Another thing to consider, is when he was oiling his chainsaw,he was pouring oil all over it, on the sides and everything.
I thought that people usually only oil the actual chain area.
Could it have been intentionally symbolic?

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"You do have a point,but i do think this movie had quasi-pedo content.
Another thing to consider, is when he was oiling his chainsaw,he was pouring oil all over it, on the sides and everything.
I thought that people usually only oil the actual chain area."

I didn't know that. My knowledge about chainsaws is marginal. Probably the people involved in the scene didn't knew either. This might sound unlikely, but there've been greater mistakes than this.

"Could it have been intentionally symbolic?"

IF this was the case, the only reason I could imagine would be to provocate (don't know if that's the right word) those people who like to dissect each and every scene for symbolism. In order to underline this message.

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OH MY GOD. ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY MUST MEAN PEDOPHILIA.
What the *beep* is wrong with you? Did you NOT see that Trent didn't want to touch her because he knew that it was wrong, and he respected her and I think he was even slightly disgusted at the thought that she might show him her body?

I hate how anyone who doesn't GET IT automatically jumps on the pedophilia bandwagon. Just shuttup already. You don't get it, it doesn't mean it's a horrible movie. It just means you're kind of stupid.

holiday=holy day.
Not "Happy I Hate Christmas"

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There wasn't anyone around. They were on an empty field and he would've seen anyone coming miles away.

out of all the things i've lost i miss my mind the least

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wait what? that's exactly what he did.

out of all the things i've lost i miss my mind the least

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well I saw it like 2 days ago and it goes like this: devon says 'touch it'. trent's like 'no thanks'. then Devon says something like 'go on' and then he runs his finger down the scar and says 'that's cool'. and then he shows her his scar.

out of all the things i've lost i miss my mind the least

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Bump. Exactamente.

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God forbid a child be anything but fully clothed in an artform!

I'll not deny, there is something (quite obvious) about this film that attracts paedophiles, it was one of my girllover friends that introduced me to the film, but is there a problem with that? Topless Mischa in a relatively pointless scene does not make the movie bad - that aside, you do not actually see anything unless you're actively seeking it out.

Whether you can see any depth in it or not, this is a beautiful, very emotional film. I feel it carries a very important message about our society, and your reaction to the movie only validates it.

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People like you make me sick you know that! You and people like you are the reason why honest people feel ashamed to even look sideways at a child under the age of 16. If I was to see a young girl fall off her bike I'd have to think twice about going over to help her up because of people like you making every male action one of a sexual nature.

This film is way ahead of its time in my opinion in trying to expose the farce that has swept the nation that every male is a potential child molester. It really is sad that we live in a society where a friendship between a young girl and a young man can be seen as nothing more than perverse and is looked upon as improper.

What a sad, sad world this has become.

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ok hold on, because society DOES have a point in having negative views toward those relationships.

1. it is unusual, in general, for an adult to have a relationship with a child that has no relation to them. why? because the maturity of a developing child is less than...a 30 year old man. therefore, the child would seem very boring. so there must be an alterior motive for that person to continue to stay around.

2. "a women can befriend kids.."? i have never seen that. a teacher may be interested in the child if, let's say, he-she has a problem in her class, but it is rarely seen of a woman and a child that is not hers to be close friends.

3. people are less afraid of women being child molesters because, its less common, and women pychologically are less sexually driven than men. women commit less crimes, do drugs, and become alcholics.

so before you get all emotional about things not being "fair", "fair" has been a option for women for thousands of years. so i think you should stop and think before you rant about something you never thought through.

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lifesucksdontit, you are clearly a simple minded person. two people can love each other despite their ages. i see nazism is alive and well in the minds of some people. matbe the "alterior motive" for a 30 year old to stay around someone younger is that the 30 year old is attracted to the person who is younger. LOVE IS NEVER WRONG!

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When this film started and the little girl walked up to the guys trailer, I told my husband..."Well, he's dead meat." These days no way can a 20 or 30-something guy have an unattended relationship with a 10 year old. But I never felt anything at all in the least creepy about their friendship. He treated her as one might treat a niece, or a family friend. Now the little girl, I'm sure, may have had more on her mind, but only in a 'my hero' sort of way, mind you. I was a little girl once. But little girls are only seeing what the world is about. It is not up to them to see that no lines are crossed. It is up to the grownup to show them how the world is, and to show them that grownups take care of those less able to take care of themselves. They don't do grownup things to or with children, even if the child would allow it. Trent didn't do that. That's why this film isn't 'utter filth'.

Actually, what didn't ring true to me, and I thought really took away from the film, was the carpet munching scene. Not because it happened, but because it had sort of a 'let's just throw this in' quality. "Look, I'm even holding a salad." Also, when the creep guy put his hand under the mother's dress...why? I couldn't discern whether it was meant to be sexy (not), gross, (was), or to imply that the mother was a ho. Sexy is fine, even gross, if it's a building block of the story. Otherwise, maybe it's just to shock. I see this sort of thing a lot and I don't understand why film makers feel the need to do this. It cheapens your otherwise lovely movie. Ditto for the peeing on the windshield scene. Yawn. IMO.

What was wrong with Devon's 'nude scene' on the roof? She wasn't nude, she had her panties on, besides, she's just a flat chested little girl, for gosh sakes. Are these the same people that turn you in for taking pictures of your kids in the bathtub? Jeez.


Sam Rockwell was really wonderful and Mischa Barton played her part perfectly. I don't think the film was brilliant or filth. Somewhere in between, I suppose, but I'm glad I saw it.

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"Actually, what didn't ring true to me, and I thought really took away from the film, was the carpet munching scene."
- Perhaps it was just to demonstrate that an older woman who has an affair with a young boy can get away with it, while the other way round is never accepted.

"Ditto for the peeing on the windshield scene."
- It was on the windshield of her fathers car, it was perhaps her way to express her feelings towards her father...

There was a lot of talking about Devon showing her scar, but nobody ever mentioned the fact that Devon's father refused to even look at it, even wanted to let her have plastic surgery to remove the scar. So for Devon it is very important that Trent is not afraid to touch her scar. For the girl, the fact that they both have an ugly scar (and nearly died from it) is another thing they have in common and makes them "special".

I enjoyed the movie very much, even if I had preferred a different ending.

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Brilliant- acting is superb, especially Rockwell. This film is packed with symbolism. It has been one of my favorites since my dad and I watched in on tv years ago.

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Brilliant ... it's brilliant how such a sweet film could bring out all the crazy pedo-witch hunt , sexualized world some live in...

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Jesus I can't believe this post is still open haha
I posted back in 2005 when I was only 16 and thank god my spelling and grammar has improved some what =)


- - - Shame - - -

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I see why everyone is saying things about symbolism and trying too hard but for me it didn't feel that way. Everything just felt natural and beautiful to me. Just throwing that out there...

just sayin.

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brilliant directing and mischa barton's performance.

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To this movie *beep* would be demeaning to *beep*

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i watched this yesterday and i just was interested throughout about the different things that came from it. The theme of pure innocence from both who dont realise that to an outsider it was innapropriate, to the fact that Devon is touched by the rich kid and the parents disregard this as tickling but Trent gives her a turtle and the police are involved spoke on so many levels about the hypocrocy of it all.

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I agree, it's really interesting what this has thrown up.
I've watched the film maybe a dozen times since it came out and it's grown more simplified and clumsy with every viewing. The first few times I thought it was an under-appreciated indie masterpiece, and I still think the acting is wonderful, the cinematography is fantastic and the two main characters are well drawn. The supporting characters are disappointingly one-dimensional and the marketing of the film was an exercise in how NOT to market a film.

The complexities of the film's subject matter is brought up with from the get-go, and there is undoubtedly an undercurrent of sexuality to the whole film, though I think that is the background that lends dread and tension to Trent and Devon's relationship, because it's just not there. Devon is lonely, she's looking for a friend. Trent seems to have dysfunctional relationships and they are brought together by circumstance and accident. Everyone in this film is lonely to some degree, and the expression of the human need to connect is only successfully realised through Trent and Devon, and the social norms (both in the film and expressed here in this thread) doom their relationship that can only end well in a fantasy world. Everything around them is ugly and shallow.

It's a beautiful but flawed film. I just wish Mischa Barton would start playing interesting characters like Devon again. And that Sam Rockwell would get the recognition his skills so obviously deserve.

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I think it was rather brilliant. I did not see anything filthy about it with the exceptions of the dog and chickens getting killed - that was disturbing.

Boycott movies that involve real animal violence! (and their directors too)

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