‘Rocket’s’ ‘Red’ glare in Tex. town
Sean Baker specializes in spotlighting populations that don’t often get much screen time — and letting the audience be the judge of them.
His newest A24 film, “Red Rocket,” which opened in theaters Friday, offers up a slice of life in a more rural, low-income and conservative part of the country, with the runup to the 2016 election as its backdrop.
In the film, Mikey Saber returns to his small hometown in Texas. There, the one-time porn star resurrects old feelings, grudges and habits — like mooching off his estranged wife and her mother under the guise of being a changed man.
“Red Rocket” was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes festival. Simon Rex, who plays Mikey, began his career by appearing in masturbation scenes in three films before graduating to MTV VJ and actor in films such as “Scream.”
“Obviously, there is a certain amount of me judging Mikey just by making this film about him at this time in his life … even though I try my best to be nonjudgmental no matter what character I’m presenting,” Baker, 50, told the Daily News.
“How I go about doing it is presenting these characters like Mikey in a ... very straightforward way without condoning or condemning any actions, just almost allowing the audience to really apply their own ethics.”
What Baker is doing is shining a light on those often marginalized in society — and on screens big and small.
“Tangerine,” his acclaimed 2015 film, put transgender sex workers center stage. “The Florida Project,” which was named one of the top 10 films of 2017 by the National Board of Review and American Film Institute, focused on young families on the brink of homelessness on the outskirts of Walt Disney World.
“My films are just a reaction of what I’m not seeing enough of coming from U.S. film and TV,” said Baker. “Underrepresented communities, cultures, microcosms, even locations like this [small Texas town].”