There's no narrative to be found here, really, as the film comes from a school of filmmaking poised somewhere between the verbally-obsessed character cataloging of Peter Greenaway (especially The Falls) and the connect-the-dots flow of La Ronde and its many remakes/imitators. Mostly nameless con artists, struggling painters, conspiracy buffs and other off-kilter denizens fill the frame as they go about their daily business and spout off about whatever pops into their heads, with results ranging from amusing to somewhat upsetting.
Though other films like Reality Bites and Singles tried to capture the Generation X zeitgeist in the early to mid-1990s, this is the genuine article; for some it won't be any deeper than hanging around a college coffee house for a few hours, while others will get a charge from its roaming, freewheeling approach to a day in the life of a ragtag community. Either way, it's certainly one to add to a DVD time capsule for future generations. Linklater (who portrays the first character himself, exiting from a bus) obviously found the approach appealing as he continued to hone and modify it in his successive films; though there's ostensibly more of a structure in his studio work like Dazed and Confused, Before Sunset, Before Sunrise, and this film's closest cousin, Waking Life, his greatest love is simply letting the camera roll and savoring the bizarre nooks and crannies of the English language swirling out of people's mouths.
A perennial title on home video since its initial release, Slacker is unlikely to find a better incarnation anytime soon than this long-overdue special edition that puts the whole dizzying experience in context. The film itself looks as good as a rough-and-tumble 16mm film project possibly could, and the original mono audio is clearer than past editions. Optional English subtitles are also handy during some of the more frenzied stream-of-consciousness rants.
Linklater turns up on the first commentary track for a solo discussion of the film from its genesis to completion, explaining various stories behind some of the more memorable sequences and offering plenty of behind-the-scenes info. A second track collects numerous cast members (Scott Rhodes, Jerry Delony, Wammo, Scott Marcus, Gina Lalli, Louis Black, Sarah Harman, John Slate, Rudy Basquez, Kathy McCarty, Kalman Spelletich, R. Malice) who comment on their respective scenes; unlike the busy round table chats one might expect from most Kevin Smith DVDs, this one remains evenly segmented between each participant and doesn't really feature much interaction. A must for fans of the film, however. Linklater turns up again for a crew commentary, joined by cinematographer Lee Daniel and co-producer Clark Walker for a talk about the ins and outs of low budget filmmaking, the technical challenges posed by some scenes, and their involvement with the Austin Film Society which proved pivotal to the local culture.
The first disc also contains a text sample of the original screenplay under the title No Longer: Not Yet, "Showing Life" (a collection of cast interviews with a text introduction by casting director Anne Walker-McBay), a reel of sedate home movie footage from the set entitled "Taco-and-a-Half after 10," a hefty publicity and production gallery, and "Les Amis," a very long trailer (more like a promo) for Nancy Higgins' Viva Les Amis, a sprawling look at local Austin hotspots destroyed by corporate behemoths later in the same decade. Easter Egg hunters will also find a handy essay about slackerism by "R.U. Steinberg."
Disc two kicks off with Linklater's first feature film, 1988's rarely seen It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books, an 85-minute, Super 8 look at various souls trapped in the dullest, most numbing moments of travel, sort of a non-romanticized trial run for Before Sunrise (including a few wistful touches that cropped up later in somewhat metamorphosed form). Linklater also appears for a commentary track in which he explains his intentions and the various philosophical underpinnings that fueled this rough maiden feature. More early Linklater crops up with "Woodshock," a short film in collaboration with Daniel in which a 1985 Austin music festival is shot in a deliberately retro style recalling the seminal film that inspired its title.
Fourteen deleted and alternate scenes highlight "The Roadmap," an interactive version of the original script which can either take the viewer through the whole feature or simply skip around to the excised bits. Another section, "The Austin Film Society," offers even more information about that organization including a series of articles, essays, and flyers covering its history. The disc then wraps up with the original trailer, 20 minutes of video footage from a ten-year anniversary screening in Austin, and a step-through version of Linklater's 1991 "Slacker Culture" essay. The appropriately eye-catching, scruffy packaging also includes a 64-page illustrated booklet offering even more written observations and essays about the film and the culture it inspired (and spawned).
For more information about Slacker, visit the Criterion Collection. To order Slacker, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
