Red Rocket (Sean Baker, 2021, USA)
Red Rocket , Sean Baker's follow-up to his breakout hit The Florida Project , largely came and went without much recognition upon its initial release. Though well-received by critics, the film was released mid-pandemic, when many independent films had a harder time breaking through theatrically, or (in most cases) were dropped straight to streaming services. Continuing the director's tradition of observing the American underclass, as well as sex workers, Rocket follows Mikey, a newly retired porn star, and his return to his hometown on Texas's gulf coast. One of the reasons that Red Rocket likely didn't gain awards momentum is simply because it is a movie with an unpleasant protagonist doing unpleasant things. Additionally, the film's central narrative arc involves this protagonist grooming a teenager probably didn't help much to win audiences over. That being said, Red Rocket is a humorous and sensitive film with a charismatic protagonist. It should be not...
