In my twenties, I discovered the work of comic creator Dan Clowes and became a big fan. He specialized in quirky, esoteric slice of life stories that often exposed the hidden ironies of existence and the hypocrisies of humans. He often did so with flawed characters who were their own worst enemies.
Perhaps Clowe’s biggest contribution to culture is that he created the story “Ghost World,” which became a movie back in the early aughts.
Why am I writing about Clowes in what purports to be a review of a movie called “Spontaneous”?
Well, I feel “Spontaneous” is an attempt to merge the Clowes style with horror.
Our teenager protagonist is Mara, who seems like a version of Clowes’ character Enid from “Ghost World.” She’s snarky and witty and clearly feels superior to her high school peers. (I was also reminded a bit of Winona Ryder’s character in “Heathers.”) I dislike these kinds of hipster snobs, but that’s what the film gives us.
Mara’s high school existence is forever changed when a fellow student spontaneously explodes in class, drenching the room in blood and gore.
The fleshy detonations continue. Soon the class is cordoned off in a lab and studied by scientists. But the cause of these explosions eluded the experts.
The first half of the movie is fairly light, at least as light as it can be amidst exploding teenage bodies. But at the midpoint, a predictable tragedy occurs, and the film gets darker and heavier.
I found myself wondering what the onslaught of exploding teenagers was supposed to symbolize. School shootings perhaps?
At the end, there’s a rumination on the random nature of life—that death or tragedy can strike at any moment. It felt unsatisfying, like this was a movie in search of a more profound theme.
I would recommend Clowes’ work over this film, but the film is interesting and worth a watch.
