Bumblefuck, USA (2011)

Directed by: Aaron Douglas Johnston | 90 minutes | drama | Actors: Heidi M. Sallows, Cat Smits, John Watkins

After his cousin Matthew’s suicide, Aaron Douglas Johnson was eager to make a statement. Matthew, 25, took his own life several years ago, shortly after coming out. Johnson, who was studying at the film academy in Amsterdam at the time, decided to dedicate his debut film to his cousin. He wanted to show what gays and lesbians from provincial America face when they dare to admit their sexual orientation. He set to work with a largely Dutch crew. The result, ‘Bumblefuck, USA’ (2011), is somewhere between a feature film and a documentary. The central fictional plot, surrounding the Dutch student Alexa (Cat Smits) who goes to Iowa to make a film, is interspersed with intimate interviews with various young gays and lesbians, some of whom have known the tragic Matthew.

Because Johnson combines two different styles, it sometimes seems as if he made two films in one. Films that complement each other, but apart from each other might have more impact. The shining centerpiece of ‘Bumblefuck, USA’ is Alexa, a young, fresh blonde with an open air who, after the tragic death of her good friend Matt (where the two knew each other exactly is not clear) decides to find out with what prejudices. gays and lesbians in rural Iowa have to deal with when they come out. Alexa herself, while featured in almost every scene, remains a major enigma for a long time. She is open to everyone, flutters and flirts and dares – very Dutch – to ask direct questions, but she never really shows the back of her tongue. Without realizing it, she intrigues everyone she meets. For example, her landlord Lucas (John Watkins), a lonely man in his forties who lets this brash foreign student turn his head, and the boy who tends the grass around the cemetery (Ryan Gourley), who even ends up in her bed once. .

However, the only one who manages to arouse feelings in Alexa is Jennifer (Heidi M. Sallows), a fully tattooed artist in her early thirties who makes no secret of the fact that she is attracted to women. After a night’s sleep at the local disco, Alexa wakes up in her bed. Although Jennifer is undoubtedly attracted to her, she wisely holds off at first. Because who says this girl could fall for a woman? As the two women get closer to each other, something seems to blossom. Alexa discovers herself and her own sexuality, but her fickleness, her not always thoughtful actions and her tendency to think mainly about herself get in the way. Although she herself may not even be aware of what she manages to elicit in others.

While it takes little effort to empathize with the frank and honest gays and lesbians that Alexa brings in front of her camera – and who therefore tell their own real story – it is difficult to muster any sympathy for the lead actress herself. She certainly has a good dose of charisma and comes across very natural, but the way she plays with the feelings of others doesn’t exactly deserve the beauty prize (although there is a scene where you can’t help but sympathize with her). ‘Bumblefuck, USA’ can be called original because of its experimental set-up, but not because of its thematic approach. Because in fact – if the interviews in between don’t count – this is a fairly standard story about emerging homosexuality and coming of age. With all kinds of questions that arise after the final scenes, for example about Matthew and the reason why he committed suicide, you stay put. The fact that ‘Bumblefuck, USA’ is a very personal, intimate document from the director, who made his debut film with a lot of love and passion and only minimal resources, does tip the balance in the positive direction.