There’s a movement going on in American indie cinema. Baker and the Safdies are creating what I like to call “Gutter Poetry” out of the American middle and lower class. After “Tangerine” and “The Florida Project,” Baker cements his status as one of the best working American directors today with “Red Rocket,” a down-and-dirty ride into the Trumpian American fringes of Texas. It was one of the very best movies I saw at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Set during the 2016 Hillary Clinton-Donald Trump presidential election, Baker’s masterful sense of location is doubled down here by the tremendous energy of his camera and a hilariously dirty performance from Simon Rex. Like his previous work, Baker’s “Red Rocket” feels uncompromised by big studio intervention. Bless the National Board of Review for putting it in their top 10 films of the year. Unsurprisingly, the NYFCC completely snubbed the film at last week’s awards. Contribute Hire me
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