No, I was never a part of the social group portrayed in this film, but I knew it existed, and I hated it. I hated it for because I saw that it was self-destructive and damaging and I also hated it because admission into it meant social acceptance, something that I could never really have in high school.
The world portrayed in Dance Party U.S.A. is not the typical one portrayed in high school movies, where the kids spend a lot of time worrying about pressing issues such as Prom King and Queen or winning the big football game. It's not an entry into the Heathers genre either, about the revenge of the outcasts. It's a movie about normal people, the people you forgot after you graduated.
The characters this film are neither smart nor stupid. Like most high school studends, grades are not that important to them, but the social scene is. That scene is packed to the brim with sex, alcohol and pot, and for some, stronger substances. They are all still figuring themselves out, but they know that like to feel good physically. It's one of the few things human beings can be sure of. The plot of this very naturallistic film is about the awakening of Gus (Cole Pessinger) who is just beginning to wonder if there is more to life than a non-stop party. He is also struggling with concepts of masculinity, knowing that he cannot continuingly emulate his debuchorous friend Bill (Ryan White) but is afraid to show a more sensitive side as well. The movie bills itself about Gus coming to terms with a secret, but the secret is not at all what you would expect (it's not that he's gay). He can only confides it to Jessica (Anna Kavan) a girl he has just met, almost on a whim.
The scene where the secret is revealed, coming halfway through the film, is an example of the film masterful understanding of its characters. Gus begins by trying to seduce Jessica, not even because he really wants to but because he merely knows nothing else to do. She resists, and he finds a self respect and sensitivty to her that enables him to reveal the secret. The scene unfolds like it would in real life.
This film reminded of me of such pictures as Umberto D. or Bubble in its unfailing reach for realism. What happens after the secret is revealed I will not give away, but I watched the rest of the film in genuine suspense. Dance Party, U.S.A. was shot in and around Portland, Oregon on a miniscule budget, but it could be set in any American town where there is a high school. This is a movie that moved me on a personal level. It's not often that you see characters that seem so real that you could meet them walking down the street once the movie is over.
Dance Party, USA (2006)