Korine offsets this digital immersion with his Floridian lifestyle. Observing with Lynchian charm: “There is no reality without fish.” As fishing is one of his hobbies, he explains how holding the fish is an affirmation of the reality that we live in. The Miami setting of the movie is therefore very deliberate and redolent of his love of warm weather and the sea. Also joking that he could live in a rowboat (like the ending to recent movie “the Beach Bum”) and that living in London was great but the weather made him unhappy: “My happiness is defined by weather: sun and colour.”

We can see this in the paintings from “AGGRESS1VE DRIFTER II” that surround the interview. Oil and canvas has been used to mirror the colours of the movie but have been pushed even further into oversaturation. He is interested in pushing the image to the point of disintegration and where it becomes something else. Considerable time went into mixing the paints for maximum luminosity. There are mid-range close ups of the hit men that glow and then there are bigger scenes from the movie. The boat in “STILTS ZOON X2” is colour pushed to its breaking point. A purple sea against a pink sky and glowing orange boat: “Every medium gets expanded and de specified, a film can turn into a painting, a painting can turn into a film”. (As remarked by Isabelle Graw in a previous interview with Korine) This is notable as it’s the first time that Korine’s art and movie making have intersected. Which fits his idea that: “I’ve always seen everything as one thing”. I.e. no barriers between different disciplines.

This is also evident the premiere the next night, which he jokes will not be so much a premiere as a rave. This feels true on the night with the film split across 3 screens like a concert and with lighting to match. After some walk outs the movie is applauded with a rapturous standing ovation. The audience head to a basement fitted with stripper’s poles and a screen playing images from the film. Evian Christ plays a heavy set followed by the infectious energy of Arca. Korine comes out dressed in his neon ski mask to dance at various points. His EDGLRD set is truly fun. A maximalist set that can blend Rammstein with Phil Collins, with gun shots echoing the drums in the latter. A stage busy with almost 20 people and masked dj’s. The merch continues the world building theme too, with “AGGRODR1FT” skateboards hearkening back to Korine’s roots in skate culture. Where videos like Blind’s “Video Days” gave him the confidence to play with form when they opposed themselves to west coast formalism.

“The truth is we’re all just fucked, so you gotta have fun.” The fact that he fondly greets the audience in a mock English accent as “wankaaaas”, talks about his favourite arm wrestlers and unrealised projects paintings of boats named after porn stars and then dons a neon ski mask cannot fail to make you love his unbridled creativity and sense of fun. The world that Korine creates makes you feel like anything is possible if you follow your own creativity. It is exciting, unbound and can go anywhere! We forget this too often – but he never has.