Penelope Spheeris, US, 1983, 35mm, 94 min.
Following her gritty exposé of the L.A. punk scene, The Decline of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris created a fictionalized account of young, wayward punk rockers. An abandoned house is home to “The Rejected” – runaways who have fled family abuse and a society that has no use for them. Ensconced in a life of drugs, thievery and punk rock, “The Rejected” kids embody the punk nihilism that served as a counterview to the affluent yuppie culture of 1980s America. Featuring a cast of non-actors, including Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Suburbia is a disturbing portrait of reckless kids forging a community of cast-offs.
