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Florida: waving palm leaves, for once not in colour as they are in the holiday brochures, but in black and white, and a hurricane will quickly follow. These storms, which regularly threaten the paradisiacal coast, are intended as a metaphor. The Fisher Price camera, wielded by Peggy Ahwesh, follows four young junkies and via this toy-medium, we enter their lives. Shaky close-ups, the format of the screen, the coarse pixels, in short the entire image language fits seamlessly with the claustrophobic existence of the subjects. But the message is clear and distinct: Florida is cosmetic and no-one can look behind the potted plants and double doors. The danger lies in the trick that the one cliche might replace the other: drugs and addiction as a background to glamour and glitter. Ahwesh and Strosser, however, discharge themselves very well, although the constantly recurring shots of ashtrays and the rituals surrounding drug abuse are rather obvious. The container with soapy water with a little surfer on top is very nice (cliche too, but with a smile) or the pistol scene in which one girl practices with a pistol while her girlfriend licks an ice. Acted or staged? As the audience we are given no answer, although some scenes are so well timed that suspicions arise.
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Ingrid van Santen
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Camera: Peggy Ahwesh, Editing: Marshall Reese, Sound: Bill Seery, Crew: Michael Wacks, Roy Lumadue, Peter Zuccharini, With: Jennifer Key Baker, Deirdre Lewis, Cheryl Dunye, Franck Messin, With thanks to: Edwin Ray Rupert, Theresa Strosser, Keith Sanborn, Ed Strosser, Production: Margie Strosser
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