''Aggro Dr1ft'' (stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is a 2023 American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

action thriller The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor, photographer, artist, and author. His methods feature an erratic, loose and transgressive aesthetic, exploring taboo themes and incorporating experimental techniques,Alicia Kn ...

, and produced by Korine's

EDGLRD EDGLRD (pronounced "edgelord") is an American creative and technology company founded in 2023 by filmmaker Harmony Korine. History EDGLRD has collaborated with Bladee on his music video for "ONE SECOND" featuring Yung Lean, with The Weeknd for t ...

and Iconoclast. Starring

Jordi Mollà Jordi Mollà Perales () is a Spanish actor, artist, writer, and filmmaker. He has been nominated three times for the Goya Award for Best Actor for '' The Lucky Star'' (1997), '' Second Skin'' (1999), and '' El cónsul de Sodoma'' (1999). Early ...

and

Travis Scott Jacques Bermon Webster III (born April 30, 1991), known professionally as Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Scott has had five number-one hits on the U.S. ''Bil ...

, its plot follows an assassin on a mission to kill a demonic

crime lord A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...

. The film is presented entirely in

infrared photography In infrared photography, the photographic film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wav ...

. ''Aggro Dr1ft'' had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023. It appeared in various venues, before releasing in limited theaters for a week starting on May 10, 2024. It was released on international

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

through EDGLRD's website on June 27, 2024.

Premise

"The film orbits around a melancholic assassin named BO (Jordi Mollà) as he prepares to vanquish a demonic crime lord in a Floridian realm of vivid pinks, blazing yellows, and deep purples. But the particulars of its minimalist plot are largely moot; the vibe is what’s paramount." In the seedy domain of Miami's criminal underbelly, a seasoned hitman (Jordi Mollá) embarks on the relentless pursuit of his next target. The movie is shot entirely through thermal lens as he navigates a twisted world where violence and madness reign supreme. Tensions unravel, leading to a psychedelic journey that blurs the lines between predator and prey. With a special appearance by Travis Scott.

Cast

as BO *

as Zion * Joshua Tilley as Toto * Stet Blanchett as Pepe * Chanya Middleton as BO's wife * Xavier Rawson as BO's son * Madison Anderson as BO's daughter

Production

In July 2023, it was announced

had directed an untitled film shot entirely in

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

, with

set to star, after previously collaborating on ''

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...

'' which released that same year. Korine stated at the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

, "I am excited. I have never made anything like it. I was trying not to make a movie. I don’t know if it will be a scandal, but it will be its own statement."

Release

''Aggro Dr1ft'' had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023. It also screened at the

2023 Toronto International Film Festival The 48th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2023.Victoria Ahearn"TIFF reveals new programmers and other 2023 festival details" '' Playback'', April 20, 2023. The most noted change from past years was tha ...

on September 11, 2023, and at the 61st New York Film Festival in the Spotlight Gala section. The film was screened at the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

strip club Crazy Girls on February 7 and 8, 2024. The film was later presented in a "world tour" accompanied by audiovisuals and DJ sets, starting in Elsewhere in

Bushwick, Brooklyn Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Williamsburg to the northwest; ...

on April 16, before heading to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Eventually, the film would have a limited theatrical run in select cities from May 10 to 16. The film was released internationally in

format on June 27, 2024, exclusively on the website of Korine's media company,

Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film holds an average score of 47 out of 100 based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In a positive review, Mark Hanson of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' wrote that the film "crafted an experience that’s worth tripping out to, cotton mouth be damned". Peter Debruge of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' gave the film a mixed review, writing that the film "is visually thrilling but somewhat tedious to sit through — better as wallpaper than the main attraction." Bilge Ebiri of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' was more negative in his review. In response to

claiming that "he wasn’t trying to make a movie", Ebiri quipped "Well, he hasn’t."

References

External links

* * * {{Portal bar, Film, United States, Speculative fiction, 2020s 2023 films 2023 action thriller films 2023 crime action films 2020s avant-garde and experimental films American avant-garde and experimental films Films directed by Harmony Korine American crime action films American action thriller films