...but I honestly think that is exactly what Harmony Korine makes his films to be. With his newest film, Trash Humpers, being filmed as part improv/part 'what would happen if a buncha old people seriously filmed their own J@ckA$$ and then left it at Goodwill for someone to find', it really brings even more light to why Korine has his style. I'd explain his style any day as Home Funniest (And Most Autistic) Videos. His films are random clips throw together for the most part, and he wrote a book like that too. It's just a style you have to accept and get over it.But the magic is really in those clips. Sometimes Korine misses, sometimes he creates a scene that reaches out to you in a special way that is unique to every person watching. I personally love Korine's work because I was born with a mild mental/physical syndrome, I have a billion weird fetishes, I had a very strange mind as I child, I had extremely domineering parents, etc etc. Since Korine grew up an hour from me, he knows the culture in the South very well, and this reflects in all his films. In all, I think I actually connect with his films out of experience, not because I'm looking for something artistic. Korine is just a factor in my life who happened to pop up because of a bunch of extremely strange coincidences, and it's also in that coincidence that I like his work. If someone told me about him before I discovered the magic myself, I'd have been like 'Wtfcat'.And that's how I'd describe Julien, as well as Gummo and Trash Humpers. Either Korine has, out of fate, woven himself into your life, or he hasn't. He's created films that are supposed to be thrown into 50 cent sale bins so that people can pick up his mess for cheap, watch it, and laugh at it, make fun of it, destroy it afterward, set it on fire, love it, or just whatever they want. He's never made a film to make money, he makes films that are made to look like trash, and then he thinks people actually want to watch it. And well, he happens to be right, no matter what he does, he happens to make clips that make me smile.So at the end of the day, his Youtube previews are the best (someone else usually edits the Official Previews, as Korine usually does not pick great editors for the final film, and so the previews always cheer me up better). But besides them, it's also fun just to scour around Youtube and see what secret scene I can find from Donkey-boy. My favorite so far is the scene where he's washing the girl's feet, and Herzog pwns (did you know he just directed Bad Cop: Port Call? weird :P).Idk, I like HK's films, I think anyone who gets complex about him either; a. is fooling themselves, or b. hasn't been through the things he portrays in his films. I do think HK makes these films for autistic people to relate to, rather than giving a normal person a view of their world. At least thats what I think.

When I think of the world of cinema, I understand that while most films are designed to entertainment or inform, others focus more on the artistic side. However, when watching Julien Donkey-Boy, all I see is an extremely dull mess, which is far from entertaining and something I'd rather label pointless than artistic. While some of what we see may be to show the world through Julien's eyes, there's so much that really doesn't seem to make any kind of statement or prove any sort of point. One of the best examples has to be a few shots of a masturbating nun.. why? It just seems like Korine is trying to add controversy for the sake of it.And while I don't mind films that don't have a steadily progressing narrative, seeing scene after scene of awful "artistic" cinematic techniques, such as using jump-cuts and slashed up sound (thus making scenes impossible to understand..), isn't something I enjoy.It was extremely difficult to come up with any positives.. but I have to admit that the acting is superb. Werner Herzog in particular can be very funny at times. However these are the only redeeming features in an otherwise shockingly poor film.While I don't regret watching Julien Donkey-Boy, as I'm open to all kinds of cinema (even after watching this..), it's certainly something I will never watch again, nor recommend to a friend, and I hope I never have to endure another film that's even nearly as bad. If you want a good Dogme film, go see Festen.

Every so often a "new style of cinema" comes along that is totally original and innovative and which can influence a horde of followers and imitators. Julien Donkey-Boy is Harmony Korine's attempt to follow in the footsteps of filmmakers Vinterburg and Von Triers and make a film according to the guidelines they set in their "Dogme '95". However, while this approach served a film like Vinterburg's "Festen" incredibly well by giving a sense of reality to the narrative through improvisation and the use of hand-held camera, in this film the Dogme guidelines are used for very self-indulgent purposes (e.g. the over-use of Herzog's improvisational turns and the dead fetus theft incident at the end of the film, which has no moral purpose or message but is used, IMO, as a means of mimicking the "bad taste" elements of the previous Dogme films "The Idiots" and "Festen"). The narrative is also not very coherent, with many inconsequential and unnecessary scenes (e.g. the therapy-session and the "Foot drummer" scenes). As a result, this film comes off as a cheap imitation of the previous Dogme films; more obsessed with style than the accompanying narrative.To add insult to injury, Julien Donkey-Boy is also one in a long line of films that gives a completely inaccurate portrayal of a person suffering from the psychological disorder schizophrenia (other examples: Me, Myself and Irene, The Cell......). Although this may sound like a nitpicking point for film buffs (since accurate portrayal does not necessarily equate to a great film), the problem with the inaccurate portrayal in this case is that the central character (Julien Donkey-Boy) is reduced to a series of mannerisms performed by Ewen Bremner. The result of this reductionist approach to the central character means that the audience never really gets to grips with the character and can never truly understand what is going on inside his mind; instead we get an actorly mimic of a genuinely schizophrenic person (apparently, this character was modeled on Korine's uncle).To conclude, this film is, IMO, a gross example of style over content with many examples of bad taste and self-indulgence.

I have read a lot of comments calling this film "Art", actually recommending it. There is no "Art" to be found in Julien, just a dizzying waste of my time. The camera work and sound make it pretty much unwatchable, I felt sick at times watching it on a big screen. I get that Harmony Korine did this on purpose to have us feel disorientated, like Julien feels all the time, but he takes it way to far and created a horrible looking mess.I liked Gummo, it was one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen, so I was very much looking forward to Julien Donkey-Boy, I was very disappointed.If Julien Donkey-Boy is what is passing for "Art" these days, I am out of touch with society. Everyone who thought this film was actually good, try watching it sober and without the drugs. Hopefully Harmony will get off the smack too when and if he makes another film.Art or complete crap? If it smells and looks like crap, it probably is crap. At the very best it is extremely crappy art.