Proenza Schouler Presents "Act da Fool" by Harmony Korine

Okay, so I have been literally been thinking about this film all weekend. Every time I sat down to do my homework I wanted to make this blog post first. Finally I have because I have formed some ideas about it and on the other hand still grappling with my understanding of it. When I first saw it I was in awe because I though it was so beautiful. Visually it is...it is..just me. The abandoned cars, lens flares, and banality of it all is just a language I speak. I mean, I aim to make photographs charged with the same energy. The bad ass black girls destroying shit somehow makes me feel powerful while speaking to my own "troubled youth". The voice over seems to solidify all the elements into a film, that works and is very effective as a film. So than why, was I so disturbed as I thought about it further. And the answer my friend is exciting, because it is making me think! Last semester I decided to take on African Diaspora studies as my minor, I didn't think WHY, I just knew it was right. This semester I am taking Into to African Diaspora Studies and Punishment, Prisons and Democracy-both of which are very exciting because I am returning to issues about slavery and the lives of black people that I had been neglecting because in actuality they are very painful. So this film has made me confident that there is indeed a correlation between the visual art I create and my new minor, hooray!
One of the first things I learned in my Prisons course is that black women represent the fastest growing population in prison. And knowing this fact made this film not seem quite right as is depicts black girls/women as criminals thus perpetuating that stereotype. Is it okay that the white filmmaker present this image of black girls/women? (because he is not speaking from personal experience or specifically documenting something) Is this film actually about fashion?(or does that meaning get lost because so many other issues with the film arise)....
Okay-back to the film