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Marfa Girl 2 (2018)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 4/25

Marfa2
4/25: Once again, Larry Clark delivers.

At first, I didn't think Marfa Girl warranted a sequel since what more could there be besides sex? Plus, Larry Clark had never done that before. After seeing Marfa Girl 2, I have to say the outcomes are very realistic. This kind of stuff is rarely talked about in other movies: dead-end towns, no jobs, lack of education, a bunch of babies all over the place, the shifting around of parental responsibilities, messed-up priorities, and too much fucking. During an interview, the director said the following:

"I think that the things that happen to us when we're teenagers form us as adults. The way you're gonna be when you're an adult is because of what you went through as a teenager. And this film is very much about that, how people act out later in their life is connected to their past experiences and in fact the characters in the film at some point share their personal stories, tell what happened to them."

There are two missed opportunities, and I wish Larry Clark had them included. The first is the absence of the female teacher who spanked Adam in the first part. My guess is she'll be sent to prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with a student. The second is the arresting officer should've been Oscar. That would be a beautiful irony, especially after the female artist thought she was superior and asked him intrusive questions.

The original had lots of sex. Now, they make more sense after the second part came to play, but Larry Clark includes too much this time. They're rather gratuitous. Instead, he should've focused more on the long-term damage. It's a correct decision on his part that the pretentious know-it-all female artist must suffer the most, and I thought she would kill her baby because of his eyes resembling the rapist.

All in all, both films of the Marfa Girl duology have to be seen for full appreciation.