Cultural anarchists Soda Jerk remix hundreds of bootlegged clips into a gutbusting, memeified satire on the parlous period before and after the 2016 American elections.
A glorious ode to the power re-editing has to change meaning and reorganize a story... You've never seen a film quite like this one before.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2023
Hello Dankness 2022
Dan and Dominique Angeloro—the creative duo known as Soda Jerk—are digital-anarchists and pioneers of new narrative alchemy. Their artistry involves complex storytelling and questionable fair-use sampling from all manner of pop culture, primarily raiding magical morsels from movies, songs, speeches and even infamous memes. Painstakingly developed over four years, this hysterical amalgamation of initially discordant and disconnected memorable material, transforms into a glorious loopy portrait of the torturous political period before and after the 2016 American elections.
In a digital wilderness, recognisable images are rejigged and recycled to express ideas that have real political consequences. Whether you lean right or left, no side of the divide is left unscathed in this virtuoso piece of frenzied collated filmmaking that demands audiences are net-savvy enough to know the difference between a Harambe and a Pepe. Incorporating “acquired” footage from movies like The ‘Burbs, American Beauty, Wayne’s World, Zombieland, Robocop, Sausage Party, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a treasure trove of deep internet lore. This experimental mind-fuck is a towering achievement that should be celebrated by film fanatics, fake news/bizarro conspiracy rubberneckers and anyone interested in new media manipulation. Guaranteed to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before and if studio lawyers have their say, unlike anything you’ll ever see again. — Ant Timpson