Entertainment

The End of 'Red Rocket' Reckons with the Grossness of the Male Gaze

By putting viewers into Mikey's head, director Sean Baker has made an ambiguous ending that detaches from reality.

A24
A24
A24

To find out where Red Rocket is playing in Australia, head to flicks.com.au.

This post contains spoilers for the end of Red Rocket. 

Sean Baker has relieved himself of the burden of ending his movies in a literal way. In 2017’s The Florida Project his child hero Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) runs away from her troubled life in an Orlando-area apartment complex and into Disney World. It’s a happily ever after moment for a kid who may never get that. “I did find it liberating with The Florida Project to not deliver the literal ending for the audience,” he tells Thrillist. “I realized that a lot of my favourite films allow the audience to write their own endings. In that case, I think it’s really about getting into the head of little Moonee. Even if it’s her escape through fantasy, let’s embrace that.”

In Red Rocket, out now in limited release, Baker does something similar, except this time it’s way ickier. Simon Rex’s Mikey Saber, a former porn star, is planning a grand escape from his hometown of Texas City, Texas, which he slunk back to after a mysterious ejection from Los Angeles. He’s made himself the boyfriend of a 17-year-old donut shop employee who goes by Strawberry (Suzanna Son) and convinced her that she should run away to LA with him and become a porn star under his guidance. Except, before he can go, his estranged wife, Lexi (Bree Elrod), and her mother, Lil (Brenda Deiss), decide to fuck him over the same way he was planning on fucking them over. They reach out to Leondria (Judy Hill), the weed dealer who he was working for, and she sends over her daughter (Brittney Rodriguez) to get his earnings.

So instead of pulling up to Strawberry’s pink house abutting the Gulf of Mexico in a taxi, he walks there broken and dejected. As the door opens, the sounds of “Bye Bye Bye,” the NSYNC song that has basically become Mikey’s theme, play in reverse. Strawberry opens up the door in a red bathing suit. She is backlit and gyrates against the door. Based on everything we have watched so far, it’s a disturbing image. Instead of rejecting him at his lowest, we see this girl offering herself up to him exactly as he had hoped. Baker then cuts before we can see whether this is just a projection of Mikey’s brought on by exhaustion, or whether there’s any sort of truth to the image.

Baker confirms that, yes, at the most basic level it’s a “fantasy.” Strawberry is not actually answering the door in a bikini. And yet there’s still a lot left up for interpretation. “Is it in his head? Is it the sugar-coated version of what’s really happening in his head?” Baker suggests. “Or perhaps, maybe it’s saying to the audience that this has all been a fantasy, that this is all a retelling of the Lexi-Mikey story in a weird way?”

Once Baker decided that he was going for a more abstract ending, he leaned into Mikey’s viewpoint, as upsetting as that might be given what we know about this person, a passively sexist egomaniac. (Mikey loves to explain how he is a multi-time winner of a blowjob prize at the porn awards, and has a long explanation for those who respond by asking why a dude even receives a trophy in that category given that women are doing all the work.) “I knew that I was doing this tightrope act, sort of this balancing thing between sensibilities and gazes, especially. Meaning that I wanted to be objective, but at the same time, I wanted to get into Mikey’s psyche enough where I have the audience literally in his head,” Baker says. “At the end I was like, ‘You know what? I think I have to, even though this is risky and even though I think it could be very disturbing and off-putting, I have to sort of embrace that male gaze at this moment.’ Because that’s part of what Mikey is. Like even in that moment where he’s all down and out, it’s all still about him and his fantasy and his best-case scenario for himself.”

That perspective shift is designed to make audiences squirm in their seats. For most of the running time, you watch Mikey in horror while at the same time finding yourself regrettably charmed by his run-on sentences and stories that only probably have a loose connection to reality. Then, in the final moments, you are asked to see the world through his eyes and remember it’s a perverted Penthouse dreamscape in his head.

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Esther Zuckerman is a senior entertainment writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @ezwrites.

Entertainment

Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2023 in Australia

And what it means to be in the year of the Rabbit.

where to celebrate lunar new year australia

Starting with the new moon on Sunday, January 22, this Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Rabbit. We’ve put together a guide on celebrating the Lunar New Year in Australia.

What is special about the year of the Rabbit?

As you might know, each year has an animal sign in the Chinese Zodiac, which is based on the moon and has a 12-year cycle. This year, we celebrate the year of the rabbit, known to be the luckiest out of all twelve animals. It symbolises mercy, elegance, and beauty.

What celebrations are taking place and how can I get involved?

There are plenty of festivals happening all around the country which you can get involved with. Here they are per state.

New South Wales

Darling Harbour Fireworks
When: Every year, Sydney puts on a fireworks show, and this year, you can catch it on January 28 and February 4 at 9 pm in Darling Harbour.

Dragon Boat Races
When: Witness three days of dragon boat races and entertainment on Cockle Bay to usher in the Lunar New Year. The races will commence on January 27 and finish on January 29.

Lion Dances
When: Catch a traditional Lion Dance moving to the beat of a vigorous drum bringing good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year. The dance performances will happen across Darling Harbour on Saturday, January 21, Sunday, January 22, and Sunday, February 4 and 5, around 6 pm and 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at Cirrus Dining
When: Barangaroo’s waterfront seafood restaurant, Cirrus, is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with a special feast menu. Cirrus’ LNY menu is $128pp with optional wine pairing and is available from Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, February 5.

Auntie Philter
When: Hello Auntie’s owner and executive chef, Cuong Nguyen will be dishing out some of the most classic Vietnamese street foods with his mum, Linda. All of Philter’s favourites will be on offer, as well as Raspberry Pash Beer Slushies and other cocktails being served at the Philter Brewing rooftop bar on Sunday, January 22 and Sunday, January 29.

Victoria

Lunar New Year Festival
When: Ring in the Lunar New Year with food, music, arts, and more on Sunday, January 22, from 10 am to 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at the National Gallery of Victoria
When: Celebrate the year of the rabbit at the National Gallery of Victoria’s festival of art, food, and art-making activities for everyone from 10 am-5 pm.

Queensland

BriAsia Festival
When: From February 1-19, Brisbane will come alive with performances, including lion dances and martial arts displays. There will be street food, workshops, comedy and more.

South Australia

Chinatown Adelaide Street Party
When: Adelaide is set to hose a fun-filled day celebrating the Chinese New Year on Saturday, January 28, from 12 pm to 9 pm.

Western Australia

Crown Perth
When: Across January and February, Crown Perth hosts free live entertainment, including colourful lion dances, roving mascots, and drumming performances. The restaurants will also throw banquets and menus dedicated to the Lunar New Year.

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