Badlands
Made in 1973, Terrence Malick's Badlands vividly portrays the theme of the rebellious youth. The audience quickly gets to know the characters - Holly and Kit - through the opening sequence, as they are shown in their normal/ routine environments. It is intriguing to watch Holly's character change under Kit's influence throughout the film. She becomes more outgoing and risk-taking, she begins smoking, wearing make-up, and curling her hair, and she decides that she loves Kit more than she loves her father - becoming an accomplice as Kit kills him in front of her eyes. This film is a little similar to the Gridlock script that I wrote since mine shows four teenagers escaping the city and eventually turning against each other, featuring flashbacks and leaving many parts unsaid. I would like to capture the cold vibe from the characters like Malick did using soundtrack, and mise en scene/composition (which especially stood out to me in this movie.) A major subplot is what's going on in Holly's mind as the crime themed story unfolds; she seems totally out of touch with reality, focused on her love life and future while Kit commits murder everywhere they go. This very effectively contrasts the mindsets of the two characters. I think that the events that Malick changed from the true story - such as Holly being let off in the end and going off to marry an lawyer while in real life, Fugate was given a life sentence - were to convey the fairy-tale feel of the film, despite the unfortunate outcomes.
