Kino immer anders
The tagline puts it perfectly: Pink Flamingos is “an exercise in poor taste”. Divine, a criminal celebrated as “the filthiest person alive” , lives in a trailer with her mentally ill mother and deranged son. The Marbles, rivals in the trade that delve, among other things, in selling raped women’s babies to lesbian couples, are jealous of Divine’s notoriety and decide to challenge her title. Thus ensues a rampage of repulsive acts of provocation, from cannibalism to furniture sex and other indescribable nastiness, all under the name of “assholism”.
This movie is everything you’re taught to despise: misogyny, homophobia, ableism, scatophilia, it has it all. By the end of the movie — if you make it that far — the only thing you’re left with is a disgust for humanity, for this movie exposes all the grotesque taboos that are supposed to be concealed. Yet amidst all the nastiness there is heart. It’s an unapologetic celebration of the bizarre, with each scene pushing the boundaries of taste and convention. Simply accept that the movie is trash and enjoy the ride.
Emilie Rolland-Piègue
