There is nothing like a Soda Jerk film.

I loved Terror Nullius (2018) where the duo created social commentary using only Australian film and television spliced and juxtaposed to build an incisive narrative. With Hello Dankness, they use the same technique to critique and satirise the 2016 US election and it’s aftermath.

This is the kind of film you will only see at festivals as the number of (ignored) cease and desist letters they get for copyright infringement would make any cinema or streaming platform scared. They, in their own words, “fly the pirate flag high” and obsessively ingest, rip, and archive popular visual media.

Both Australian but living in the US for 10 years, it’s not surprising that the ‘weirder than reality’ Trump years are perfect fodder for their surreal and creative fingers. Hello Dankness starts with a straight rendition of the pinnacle of cringe, Kendal Jenner’s Pepsi ad where she saves humanity. It poses the provocation – how can you make satire when this exists in the world?

In several acts, Soda Jerk juxtapose scenes and characters from hundreds of media sources, from Wayne’s World (1992) to internet sensation Shitty Garfield. It’s funny and clever, and you don’t want to look away in case you miss something.

It exposes the banality and repetition of so many Hollywood films and blurs the line between online content and multi-million dollar productions. I wish Soda Jerk had gotten a spot in Room 999 (2023).

Director: Soda Jerk
Origin: Australia (2022)
Language: English
Genre: Experimental

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