XOXO (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – Six strangers’ lives collide in one frenetic, dream-chasing, hopelessly romantic night.

My Take – Netflix is back at it again! If you are into EDM or the festivals that bring the EDM culture (or both), this film can help you get your fix. But in case, you are new to this style of music and/or its culture, I am not really sure what this film would do for you. I personally think its kind of difficult to fit Electronic Dance Music in a film or a TV show as most of the time the setting feels out of place. However, this Christopher Louie film used the music to make the film vibrant, colorful and passionate. Unlike, some reviewers online I really enjoyed this film as I felt it captured the many different aspects of festival culture very well, from the bro-tank crowd, to the slutty girls, to the people only there to take an extreme amount of drugs, to the people who come to enjoy the music and hardly if at all participate in the party scene. The chaos and bliss of walking around a massive, multi-staged arena of people who are just there to enjoy themselves in the best way they know how, dancing to the music that we all love. Even the shocking and thrilling experience of running into your best friend in the middle of a crowd, in a festival with 24,000 people in it, something that has actually happened to me, as unlikely as that sounds. While watching this I kept wishing I could go back to my younger self & attend whichever rave party is taking place on the weekend. If you found last year’s widely written off film We Are Your Friends (I thought it was fine) starring Zac Efron & Emily Ratajkowski watchable, this Netflix original should be in your watch list.

The story follows six strangers and how their lives intermingle during one night of musical bliss at the notorious “XOXO” rave. Ethan (Graham Phillips) is barely out of high school, but thanks to him having a EDM track go viral on YouTube, and thanks to his amateur manager/ best friend Tariq (Brett DelBuono), he is going to part of the XOXO music festival. Though problems arise as Tariq is asked by his dad to work extra shifts, forcing Ethan to make the journey alone. Then there is an issue of getting in since Tariq didn’t give Ethan credentials. But, thankfully, a couple named Shannie (Hayley Kiyoko) and Ray (Colin Woodell) offer one of their tickets. Leading to the couple who are avoiding a conversation about their future forced to address the issues. But while Ethan ventures toward his set, and Tariq tries to venture toward the venue, there is also Neil (Chris D’Elia) who is trying to confront his past in which his attempt to get into the music scene was abruptly halted. Meanwhile Krystal (Sarah Hyland), the outcast in her group of wild girls as she still believes in true love, comes to the event to meet Jordan (Henry Zaga), a guy who she has never met but has been speaking to for months. Leaving us with a film which is essentially about how music not only brings people together but heals old wounds. First of all, I think any of you who’ve been to a festival before can certainly watch this film and plainly see the lengths to which this film went in order to accurately depict such event down pat. And once the sun goes down, the place is jumping with all kinds of folks, some are even there to just get high on drugs. It’s basically a mini woodstock but with ten times the energy. The emphasis on the lighting, the wardrobe, all kinds of colors, the way the characters’ lips or eyelids just glow in the dark, director Louie wants you to know that you are in for a party film where everybody is just there to live in the moment. Big music festivals are a trip, an experience, a journey. They are an environment unlike anything else. This film does a great job of recreating most of the aspects the journey to, from, and during the festival. Everyone experiences them in millions of different ways. The film creates a realistic scene of these festivals from multiple points-of-views. Director Christopher Louie, who came up with the story himself, doesn’t let himself get bogged down by any particular narrative structure or visual/sonic approach. It’s a series of moments and experiences, loosely connected by sounds and emotions, which can be exhilarating at times but also frustratingly vague. While the story of a bedroom DJ with big dreams of mainstream success is still the core track being spun it’s just one of a multitude of familiar beats linking colorfully-clad, lambent youngsters searching for meaning in the music. There’s nothing new or vaguely original here, but the film does capture the hypnagogic appeal of the rave scene, which is something Hollywood has often struggled with. The representation of the event digs deeper than your typical music festival. It creates different relatable scenarios that any person can find common ground with. The film plays with the struggle between family values while finding individual freedom and what social norms dictate appropriate versus your own personal beliefs. Netflix and Louie have found a way to take an event that is usually associated with drugs and mischief and created an adventure narrative around it that is both visually stimulating and emotionally involving. This is director Christopher Louie’s first big break into films, but he is no amateur when it comes to creating content audiences can enjoy. Louie is known for music videos that he has done for major artists such as: Death Cab For Cutie, Gnarls Barkley and Kid Cudi. He is also the co-founder of the creative company Walter Robot.

Now, before I make it seem this film is the best thing out there, let me be upfront and let you know this isn’t like a 5-star film. The main characters are all likable, cute and weird, and for the most part, are given flaws and something that can hook you, but they aren’t overly complicated. Like Ethan and Tariq, for example. Ethan wants to be a DJ and his friend Tariq his manager. Just saying that, it may lead you to think of that Zac Efron film which came and went. However, there is more to Ethan and Tariq than their desire to be in music. Granted, it isn’t huge, but it can maybe get you emotional. Take Ethan. In his pursuit of music, doing mostly EDM tracks without vocals, he becomes famous for this one track. However, for this EP he is trying to make, he is using his mom’s vocals. Something she is excited about because when she gave birth to Ethan, I believe around 18, she gave up on her dreams of becoming a singer. So this gift he is giving her, reviving her dreams and having her come along on this ride he is on, is sweet to the point of tears. Tariq even has a bit of a sob story too. His dad is a Lebanese immigrant and of course, he has that mentality of Tariq having stable work, taking over the family business, and Tariq feels a bit guilty for wanting to pursue his own dreams instead of continuing his father’s, especially due to cultural reasons. And with those two, and the dreams and fears of the others, you get much more than you expect you would. The topic of love is a strong focus when it comes to Krystal, Neil, and Sammie/ Ray’s story-line. Neil had something he loved stolen from him and he became an utter shell because of it. Then with Sammie and Ray, they are such a cute couple, but they are a cute young couple. One in which adulthood is approaching and with Sammie soon to be on a different coast, seeing the possible breakdown of their relationship was just hard. For while, again, no one is winning Oscars here, seeing these lovable weird people on the brink of heartbreak affects you. Even when it comes to Krystal, who spends most of the time in the film with her annoying friends in pursuit of this guy she never met. Hyland‘s big Diana Ross like eyes make it so you are hoping this love she believes in she’ll find by the film’s end. For, pretty much, no matter the character, and even with the very little we learn about them, before the film is over all you want is to see them fall back in love with music and all the feelings music brings. Where the film falters is in some of its lame attempts at trippy humor. A party bus breaks down on the way to the event, causing a near riot. Another laugh out moment breaks out when all of the tickets are sold, with neon-lit misfits in weird costumes scrambling like an asteroid is about to hit. A heart-to-heart in the middle of a filthy sewer is quite literally the pits of what the film has to offer in terms of laughs. Older people are either jaded curmudgeons or sage-like mentors dispensing advice on their young, drugged-out students. The film features some of today’s young talents and rising stars who are just right for their roles whether it be to captivate or inspire. The performances were good all over. Even though she is the most known face among the crowd of actors, I felt like the script really dumbed down Sarah Hyland. Her plot is a bit weak in comparison. She is trying to meet a boy, someone who she makes out to be her soul mate, while everyone else is dealing with stuff which will majorly effect their life. I think she is a good actress that could’ve really shined. Her scenes felt rushed and were way too cheesy. Chris D’Elia‘s character provides comic relief and his jokes hit well with people familiar with this culture (or that hate what it has become). I want to see more of Graham Phillips. He does really well with the script he is given, and plays his part well. To me, he is believable in his parts. I just think the script could’ve provided an outlet for all actors involved to shine, and it let’s them down. They do well with materials provided. Brett DelBuono, Colin Woodell, Hayley Kiyoko and Ian Anthony Dale play their parts well. On the whole, ‘XOXO’ is short and sweet film let down by weak writing and uplifted by its infectious positive feel and excellent soundtrack. This film is not your average blow your mind amazing but definitely worth a watch on a lazy day. If you’ve never been to a festival, do not by any means form your opinion of what they are like on this film, but if you have, sit back and enjoy, and let XOXO take you back to what is, for many people, the most surreal and magical few days of their entire lives.