Slaves to the Underground

Slaves to the Underground is, at best, an uneven movie. But I want to give it kudos in two major areas. First off, this is a movie about the underground, punk-adjacent scene. And it feels authentic. That makes it one of few punk-themed WLW movie I’ve seen to do so. I also give it major credit for talking about various elements of rape culture in a time when even less attention and space was given to discussing these issues.

The film focuses on the pre-successful female rock band, No Exits. At the start of the film, lead singer Suzy is in a relationship with band member Shelley. But then, Shelley’s ex, Jimmy attends one of their shows with his friend, Dale. Dale raped Shelley, which lead to dissolution of Shelley’s relationship with Jimmy. But with Jimmy back on the scene, Shelley realizes she still has feelings for him. Yet leaving her current girlfriend for an ex has ramifications beyond Shelley’s personal life. How will such drama impact the band?

The presence of the theme of rape definitely does make what is ultimately a love triangle drama a little complicated, for better or for worse. I imagine some people might write off the film entirely for the presence of such subject matter. And that’s understandable. As much as I admire Slaves to the Underground for speaking out about it as boldly as it does, this theme doesn’t always mesh nicely with the story. The first half feels a lot more overtly about the experience of sexual assault. By the second half it really has just become a relationship drama where everyone once and a while, a male character will say something overtly sexist so the movie can make its point.

And while the character work was maybe okay in this first half, it overall suffers. Especially at the start, these aren’t people, they’re not even full characters. Everyone in Slaves for the Underground is primarily a mouthpiece to get the film’s views about rape culture across. And I certain agree with what’s being said. But it comes at the expense of characterization. I don’t much care for the Jimmy and Shelly romance. But it feels necessary just so there can be one half-decent man in the movie as the rest are pretty much stereotypes of toxic bro culture. Especially once the film gets away from its heavy themes and becomes more about Shelley’s messy individual life, the characters being so roughly sketched becomes a problem.

Still, the movie is admirable for being a time capsule of culture. Punk and associated subcultures deal so heavily in authenticity and counter-culture that it’s a near impossible thing to fake. I’ve seen my fair share of failed attempts. By contrast, this movie feels like it was made by people actually within the subculture. The music scene and even its cliche characters feel genuine. It seems clear that a lot of this was based on real people and real events. And that overlay of “reality” bolsters the movie where so many similar projects fall flat. Plus, it allows the film to be genuinely counter-cultural. You think any big production company in 1997 would let a film deal so heavily with themes of rape and toxic masculinity? Absolutely not. This movie was made with a real passion to talk about a subject that often goes unaddressed in mainstream media.

Slaves to the Underground is ultimately a messy movie. But that’s not entirely a bad thing. This is a messy movie about messy people engaging in counter-culture. If it was cookie-cutter perfect, the movie would suck in a different way. There is a genuine, bold societal statement that comes out of Slaves to the Underground, and one I respect. But often, this message comes at the expense of a successful narrative. A stronger story and especially better character work would’ve really helped make this film one I actually enjoyed rather than one I respect in the abstract.

Overall rating: 5.1/10

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