06/01/2026
Seeking financial support for her next film project, Penelope Spheeris was approached by a group of insurance salesmen and would-be film producers who offered to fund a p***o flick. She refused, but countered by pitching a documentary about the LA punk scene of 1981. It may not have been p***ographic, but its violence and raw energy proved marketable enough to score her financial backing.
The film pairs visceral concert footage from Black Flag, X, Fear, The Germs, Circle Jerks, Alice Bag Band, and Catholic Discipline with shockingly candid interviews of its members and fans. The Decline of Western Civilization offers an uncensored and complex portrait of this emerging scene, before it was absorbed and commodified by the larger music industry.
Spheeris approaches her subjects without judgment or romanticism, capturing them in all their youthful intensity, potential, and contradiction. We will see and hear the musings of drug addicts, provocateurs, misfits, and future stars, all grasping for identity. Some participants express violent and homophobic views, while others articulate a more discerning understanding of the movement to which they belong.
The result is an uncompromising historical document of a particular American subculture. Initially censored and met with critical resistance, The Decline of Western Civilization has since been recognized by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry and has earned cult status among generations of musicians and filmmakers alike.
Trigger warnings: Real displays of physical violence, stick and poke tattoos, stories about interacting with dead bodies, implied drug use, and N**i iconography.
Susie Bomb by Dante Laratta (._.maker) :
Susie Bomb is a nickname given to one of the most active members of the underground hardcore punk scene, Susie. This participatory documentary follows the goings on of Susie as she participates in keeping the scene alive. Though she does have a rich history of performing in numerous hardcore bands, this documentary focuses more on what it’s like to be in the pit amongst all the crowd killing, spin kicking and body moshing, what this all means and the motivations behind them.
