For better or worse, HBO’s The Idol, which ends tonight after just five episodes (it was initially slated for six), has inspired a lot of discussion among the public. Due to show creator Sam Levinson’s alleged harboring of a toxic work environment, the series was immediately slammed with notoriety. The show’s negative reputation has only been magnified by its poor reception from audiences and critics. While the current product is underwhelming, The Idol is graced with an eclectic cast, including Lily-Rose Depp, Abel Tesfaye, Rachel Sennott, Hank Azaria, and Dan Levy. A relatively unknown actor in the series, Suzanna Son is an unmistakable presence. Two years prior, Son blossomed in the criminally underrated Red Rocket, the film by Sean Baker that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Coming off of Tangerine and The Florida Project, Sean Baker established himself as one of the most distinguished voices in independent film. From how the greater public identifies the concept of the indie filmmaker, Baker is an idealistic director. He is expressionist with the camera, blends formalism with realism, and engages with stories about overlooked and disregarded people. Red Rocket, which was widely ignored during awards season and received a limited release in 2021 by the storied indie distributor A24, is the accumulation of all his talents and fascinations.
The film centers around Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), a washed-up former adult film star who returns to his hometown in Texas. Struggling to make ends meet, he hustles his way around the town, as he lives with his ex-wife and her mother, and relies on the distribution of marijuana for cash. One day, Mikey meets Strawberry (Suzanna Son), a 17-year-old girl working at the counter of a local donut shop, and immediately takes a romantic interest in her. Following the mold of French New Wave films and 1970s New Hollywood character studies, Red Rocket is lacking in a rigid plot. Instead, Baker is concerned with following the livelihood of an aimless nomad in a documentary-like fashion.
The elephant in the room regarding the film is the depiction of a romance between a man in his 40s and a teenage girl, which quickly morphs into a sexual relationship between Mikey and Strawberry. While Strawberry is legally of the age to consent, the precarious feelings surrounding their relationship remain profound. An important mantra to remember when watching provocative films such as Red Rocket is that depiction does not automatically equate to condonation. The film is blunt with its portrayal of sleazy people, and Baker refuses to explicitly wag his finger in condemnation of his characters. Rather, he trusts the intelligence and maturity of his audience to recognize these problematic tendencies. However, the displayed behavior is never gratuitous. Coincidentally, this makes Baker the anti-Sam Levinson in this mold.
Son’s compelling performance as Strawberry, which was nominated by the Gotham Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, is the dominant reason why the dicey circumstances in Red Rocket are digestible. When the camera first lays its eyes on her, viewers are enchanted by Son’s innocence. While undoubtedly a visually striking woman, Son is never a product of an explicit male gaze. As an employee at the donut shop where Mikey first takes his family and subsequently meets Strawberry for follow-ups, she is amicable to his charm. Baker restrains from playing these instances too hard into the direction of young, naive love on Strawberry’s part. The audience is more conscious of Mikey’s desperate bid to charm her.
Son complements the film’s authenticity, which is supported by Baker’s commitment to casting non-actors in supporting roles. In her feature film debut, she feels plucked straight from this small town in Texas. Uncharacteristically, Son taps into the neorealist influences of Red Rocket thanks to her true-to-life nature. There is a quality to her that is completely detached from the artificiality that can sometimes come from creative characters. This is precisely what causes Son’s rookie performance as Strawberry a breakthrough. The naturalism that she emanates on screen is a bonafide discovery.
Son is dialed into the off-kilter tone of Red Rocket. A bitingly hilarious film that can suddenly shift into a cynical and downbeat examination of lower-class America, set against the backdrop of the impending 2016 Presidential election, Simon Rex and Son work off each other in satisfying both spectrums. The latter’s naturalism is employed in her swift ability to shift from unassuming innocence to sharp moxie. While Sean Baker confines the narrative through the scope of Mikey’s ne’er-do-well misadventures, Strawberry catalyzes the story and the character’s reconsideration of career aspirations.
Mikey is inclined to operate selfishly, as indicated by his relationship with Strawberry evolving into using her to emerge back into the adult film world. However, the audience is cognizant enough to be assured that Mikey will squander any opportunity given to him, especially when paralleled with Strawberry. Despite the age gap, the two are in similar statuses financially and career-wise. Strawberry lives patiently and earnestly, but Mikey is blinded by his ego and predisposition to hustling others around him. Son’s work in the film cements Red Rocket as a character study rather than solely an exhibition of the fetishization of the misery of lower-class America.
There has been a discussion brewing in the film community regarding the lack of stories about contemporary life, especially from our most revered filmmakers. While technically a film set in 2016, Red Rocket loosely captures the spirit of Generation Z, which is embodied by Suzanna Son’s performance. From her appearance, idiolect, and approach to living, the character of Strawberry exclusively belongs to the generation of the future. Her presence made her an ideal candidate for Sam Levinson’s (or Amy Seimetz’s) vision for The Idol, but to experience Son’s charm and gracefulness at a nuanced and understanding level, watch Red Rocket.
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