Zero and Wiz RECOMMEND Easy Rider
Undoubtedly one of the most important independent films ever made, Easy Rider is a film that is in many ways a snapshot of a specific time and place in America as well as a feeling it's youth and "fringe elements" felt.
Without the context of the time period however, Easy Rider may feel more like a vibe movie that has a plot 2/3's in.
But man, is that vibe ever felt so strongly?
Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) are hippies who made a big payday due to a drug deal, go on a spiritual journey through small town America dealing with bigotry and hatred trying to find their peace.
The film highlights the counter-culture of that time period very well: everything from the hippie lifestyle the bikers lead to the communal living of some and the blending of the hippie lifestyle into the mainstream.
The showcasing of Wyatt and Billy's life and their visit to a commune contributes to the free-spirited "vibe" of the film. The striking visuals of the places they inhabit, even when it's dusty plains, help create a feeling of freedom and unease...
...which dovetails right into the second part of the film where the boys deal with everyone who hates their different lifestyle and the people taht are fascinated by them.
This results in that same feeling but inverse: the freedom and unease that is thrilling in the first half becomes an almost cautionary tale for seeking out that lifestyle.
And it's a very apt message to showcase, even by today: it showcases the fear of the different and being different.
What I will also say is that the music in this film is exceptionally well executed with the rest of the film, which was also important for this film to be as successful as it was.
But as much as Easy Rider is important to filmmaking, I'm not quite sure it will resonate with many people today or that it's message will land as strongly.
Still, the visuals and music will set you into a specific feeling and it won't let go until the film wants to shake your senses by the end credits.
