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Indie sleaze is back from the dead.
Basically anything that we considered hipster.
But what exactly is indie sleaze?
We can look to film for the answer.
Dig out your collared dresses this Valentines Day and enjoy this abridged timeline of the hipster cinematic canon.
InRushmore, eccentric prep-school student Max Fischer develops an obsession with his teacher, Rosemary Cross.
I wish that I knew what I know now / When I was younger.
Warning: This film contains pure, unbridled early-aughts joy.
Rushmoreis available to rent onAmazon Prime Video.
Requiem for a Dream(2000)
Requiem for a Dreamis streaming onPluto TV.
Instead, the focal point of friendship amid American consumerism drives this film with plenty of heart and panache.
Ghost Worldis available to rent onAmazon Prime Video.
The Royal Tenenbaums(2001)
Sweet Home Alabama.
Light incest aside,The Royal Tenenbaumsis a pivotal work in the indie-sleaze canon.
The plot follows three former talented and gifted kids as they experience an endless barrage of adult failures.
In typical Anderson fashion, the Tenenbaums universe is populated by pastels and ennui.
In one scene immortalized on Tumblr, Richie and Margot finally reconcile in the Green Line bus terminal.
Margot steps off the bus wearing a floor-length fur coat with barrettes plastered on her bob.
In glorious 35 mm, she steps toward Richie while Nicos These Days lags in the background.
Its indisputable: This is the pinnacle of hipster film.
The Royal Tenenbaumsis streaming onAmazon Prime Video.
Garden State(2004)
Natalie Portman is not like other girls as twee personified inGarden State.
Portman plays Sam, a pathological liar and Zach Braffs love interest.
Shes the paradigmatic manic pixie dream girl an indie-sleaze tropecoined by Nathan Rabin of the A.V.
Club.Garden Stateis inspired by director-writer Braffs own experiences returning to his hometown following his mothers death.
Thus, the hipster movie became the newest iteration of the confessional-booth film.
Garden Stateis streaming onTubi.
How happy is the blameless vestals lot / The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
In Michel Gondrys masterpiece, Clementine Kruczynski has her memories of ex Joel Barish erased.
As Joel tries to erase Clementine, he finds himself trapped in the minutiae of their failed relationship.
Im just a fucked-up girl whos looking for her own peace of mind, she says to Joel.
Dont assign me yours.
Her defiant attitude and Joels inability to cope with it leads to their downfall.
But still, Gondry begs the question, Is it really easier to forget?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindis streaming onTubi.
Zooey Deschanel is no doubt entitled to a lot of financial compensation.
Summer was both the epitome and a deconstruction of the manic pixie dream girl.
(500) Days of Summeris streaming onHulu.
I could write a dissertation on how much I hated the treatment of Knives Chau in this film.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the Worldis streaming onPeacock.
Spring Breakersis streaming onShowtime.
As a band, the Soronprfbs are eclectic and experimental, sampling everything from glass bell jars to toothbrushes.
They journey toward SXSW after garnering a small cult following.
Frankis streaming onAmazon Prime Video.
