6/23/2018

Double Feature: Over the Edge with River's Edge

Over the Edge Jonathan Kaplan, US, 1979, 95 min. Followed by: River’s Edge Tim Hunter, US, 1986, 35mm, 98 min.

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Over the Edge
Jonathan Kaplan, US, 1979, 95 min.

To the kids of New Granada their planned housing community feels more like a penal colony. Fed up with the boredom and isolation of their sterile suburban wasteland, Carl, Richie (a young Matt Dillon) and their friends embark on a lawless rampage that involves drugs, guns, vandalism and burglary. As the parents lose control and the local law enforcement becomes increasingly repressive, events escalate toward an explosive climax. Unlike other teen rebellion films of this era where teens were often portrayed by adult actors, Over the Edge stars a cast of real-life teens, giving the gritty story an added level of veracity. With a soundtrack that features The Ramones, Cheap Trick and Van Halen, Over the Edge has obtained cult status and has often been cited as one of Kurt Cobain’s favorite films.

Print courtesy of the Tim Hunter Collection at the Academy Film Archive

Followed by:

River’s Edge
Tim Hunter, US, 1986, 35mm, 98 min.

Tim Hunter, writer of Over the Edge, depicts another group of troubled teenagers flirting with disaster, this time involving the murder of one of their own by another acquaintance. Allegiances are tested and paranoia abounds when John (Daniel Roebuck) is discovered to have killed his girlfriend Jamie. John’s lack of remorse and his friends’ bungling attempts to help him conceal the crime offer a disturbing portrait of disaffected youth and their dysfunctional families. Acting as mentor to John and his group is Feck (Dennis Hopper), a reclusive ex-biker and drug dealer who serves to only exacerbate the tragic events that have ensnared the teens. Starring Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye, River’s Edge is among the darkest visions of adolescence committed to celluloid.