Three little devils jumped over a wall...or so one of the characters sings constantly throughout the film, seemingly in lieu of the ability to express her reaction to events taking place around her. The three devils of the movie--or at least the three utter utter FREAKS--travel about randomly smashing stuff up, masturbating, humping stuff, and bumping into other random freaks they meet here and there. It's best if the people they meet entertain them. Smut works best of all. The three freaks giggle and chuckle and sing the three little devils song at any bit of smut or sexual talk or wanton violence that amuses them. The film is peppered with scenes of the depraved trio humping things: trees, walls, fences...trash cans seem to be particularly popular (or should I say, particularly arousing). They take great joy from smashing stuff up, too. So, humping and smashing and giggling at smut (and a bit of murder) is what these FREAKS do best.
So what's it all about? I'd seen Gummo, so I knew Harmony Korine was a director with plenty to say. I haven't read the other reviews here or postings or any comments by the director, so my thoughts here are purely my own response to the film and may well be way off what Korine intended or what others see in it, but, no matter. I think it's about a consumer society that produces trash--obsolescence, consumption, wastefulness, trinkets, toys, the blandishments of consumerism. Human trash, too. Of a sort. Humans that get left behind--by education, wealth, affection, nurture, stability. This film shows three (four, really, plus a few more 'real life' examples) pieces of disenfranchised human trash doing their 'thang' amongst all the rest of the trash, because it doesn't matter what they do, no-one cares about them so why should they care about anything--even if they were intellectually able to. At one point, the female freak says, "I don't mean to do wrong, Lord". This is the closest one of the characters comes to some kind of lucidity, awareness of her condition and the behaviors she takes part in. Otherwise, it's just a litany of "Three little devils", "Make it make it", and "Single girl" (the three most common 'riffs' repeated in the film). These songs are meaningless, too, because, again, it just doesn't matter. It's all just trash trash trash: hump it, kill it, laugh at it, jerk off at it, sleep on it, fall over in it...who cares! As I said, maybe I'm way off the mark with my interpretation. Nonetheless, there is often hilariousness (and a touch of envy?) when these characters disport themselves with utter brainless abandon in the most ridiculous and antisocial ways--I kind of wish I could dance crazily and giggle uninhibitedly as I smashed up a TV in a parking lot for no reason at all.
The film ends with the woman freak having a real live baby in her possession. We've earlier seen what she and her fellow freaks do with a doll and with the 'education' of a young boy, so the thought of her having a real baby has the potential to send shivers down the spine. But...Make It Make It Don't Fake It. "Three little devils jumped over a wall..."
