After dominating hip-hop and changing the landscape of American music with his experimental and boundary-pushing trap sounds, Travis Scott has set his eyes on the world of films, and his approach is as radical as ever. The multi-Grammy nominated artist is bringing over his true-to-brand experimental attitudes to his debut feature film, or at least we think it’s a film – the director seems to debate that notion too. Admittedly, we’re not entirely sure what Aggro Dr1ft is, except that it stars Scott, is directed by American auteur Harmony Korine, and yes, it is shot entirely in infrared photography.
Harmony Korine is known for his transgressive work depicting notorious and taboo subjects, and his unconventionally erratic aesthetic and experimental approach to film form and techniques make Travis Scott the perfect muse for him. In fact, this is not the first time the two artists are collaborating, with Korine appearing in Scott’s music video ‘Last Time’ along with rapper Gucci Mane, and directing a segment in Travis Scott’s much-talked-about music film Circus Maximus, which also featured segments directed by other auteurs like Gaspar Noé and Nicholas Winding Refn. Aggro Dr1ft is enigmatic, confusing, and shrouded in mystery, but if you’re as fascinated by it as we are, here is everything we know about the film.
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When And Where Will Aggro Dr1ft Release?
Aggro Dr1ft is set to have its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023. Afterward, it will have its North American premiere at TIFF’s Midnight Madness on September 11, 2023, and later will screen at the 61st New York Film Festival in the Spotlight Gala section.
Beyond that things get a little murky. It was initially reported that the project was in limbo as Travis Scott refused to sign off on its release, although that problem seems to have been resolved. There is also confusion surrounding the production company for the film, as many outlets have reported it as an A24 film, but the studio is not officially listed anywhere. The confusion comes largely due to the overall production deal Travis Scott signed with A24 back in 2021 and his film Circus Maximus, for which Scott released a poster that said “produced by A24” but the studio denied any such claims. At any rate, there is no confirmed release date or distribution detail for Aggro Dr1ft as of right now, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as any info is revealed.
Is There A Trailer For Aggro Dr1ft?
The official trailer or teaser for Aggro Dr1ft has not been released yet, but the makers of the film have released a few promotional stills and a 15-second clip from the film showcasing its infrared cinematography and unique aesthetic. The short clip features a man with a mask on his face, whose skull is exposed because of the thermal imagery, as he looks around his surroundings, and a piece of glaring music, like in an 80s horror movie, plays in the background. All the stills released for the film share more in common with contemporary avant-garde art installations than with frames from a movie, with all of them revealing the film’s bold and unexplored visual style. The stills feature various masked men, demonic faces, animated elements, and hellish landscapes filled with bright lights and a concoction of neon colors.
What Is Aggro Dr1ft About?
Aggro Dr1ft is an experimental film, so it is expected that the film will not have a traditional narrative, with Korine even going on to say, “I don’t think there’s been anything like it, I don’t think I’ve made anything like it. I don’t know if anything like it has existed. We were trying not to make a movie, so maybe it’s not even a movie.” Korine has said that his goal was to create Aggro Dr1ft as a response to “what comes after movies”, and the people who’ve already seen the film have compared it to violent video games like Grand Theft Auto, with repetition of dialogues and apparitions as if everything is bound to algorithms of a simulation, and have hailed it as a breakaway from the cinematic aesthetic.
The film has been described as a sensory psychedelic journey of a seasoned and melancholic assassin named BO, in the dark trenches of Miami’s crime-fueled underworld, where violence and perversion have reached the realms of extreme, as BO embarks on a pursuit to vanquish the city’s demonic crime lord. Aggro Dr1ft‘s world of chaos is filled with nightmarish visions and fever dreams of hot and blazing colors, all captured by thermal cameras, as the streets of Miami transform into a mythical dimension pervaded by the action extravaganza of skulls, masks, swords, machine guns, strippers, mobsters, horned demons and hot cars.
The official synopsis released by the Venice International Film Festival reads:
“In the seedy domain of Miami’s criminal underbelly, a seasoned hitman embarks on the relentless pursuit of his next target. Shot entirely through thermal lens, he navigates a twisted world where violence and madness reign supreme. Tensions unravel, leading to a psychedelic journey that blurs the lines between predator and prey.”
Who Is In The Cast Of Aggro Dr1ft?
Spanish actor Jordi Mollà plays a haunted assassin named BO in Korine’s hallucinatory portrait of crime and madness. The actor, best known for his roles in Bad Boys II, Riddick, Blow, and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, is the centerpiece of the whole ordeal, as we follow him on his wicked transcendental journey through the otherworldly realms of a demonic blazing crimson Miami.
Travis Scott plays a militia leader with a literal snake tongue who recites and repeats his lines with sensuous dissonance in this fever dream. Scott is a self-proclaimed cinephile and has collaborated with various celebrated and highly regarded filmmakers, including Korine, over his music career and visual projects, and even wrote and performed the song ‘The Plan’ for Christopher Nolan‘s spy thriller Tenet.
Who Is Making Aggro Dr1ft?
Aggro Dr1ft comes from the mind of Harmony Korine, the director known for his provocative and experimental films and transgressive cult classics such as Gummo and Mister Lonely. Aggro Dr1ft is Korine’s first directorial venture since 2019’s The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey and 2012’s Spring Breakers with James Franco and Selena Gomez, his two most “mainstream” films, so it’ll be a return to the experimental zone for him.
The film is a co-production between Iconoclast Films and EDGLRD and will have an electronic score composed by famed underground artist Araabmuzik. Arnaud Potier is the director of photography on the film, and it has been edited by Leo Scott, who last edited the Val Kilmer documentary Val.
