Lovedolls, put together by '80s LA scenesters with no money or professional actors, "was made for a group of friends to show to a group of friends, and that was it," Jennifer Schwartz, the film's lead actress, explains in an interview for Destroy All Movies!!! The story follows a runaway all-girl punk trio pursuing fame, leading them to drugs, a slimy producer, an enemy girl-gang (the SheDevils), and two accidental murders. The plot is fast, disjointed, and at times, hard to follow, but it matters little.
"They're like the cinematic equivalent of garage bands," says Pendleton of the lo-fi films. Like garage punk at its grittiest, even when the shoddiest films' lyrics aren't totally audible, there's room enough to appreciate attitude and aesthetic.
AMERICAN PUNK | Harvard Film Archive Cinematheque, 24 Quincy St, Cambridge | September 2-26 | 617.495.4700 or hcl.harvard.edu/hfa
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