If anyone is to remind us of the nightmare that can be YouTube culture, let it be Gia Coppola. Following on from her feature debut, Palo Alto, in 2013; Coppola's latest film, Mainstream, is here to serve us with chaotic energy once more. I mean, even black-listed American vlogger Jake Paul makes an appearance. Say no more, right?
According to IMDb, Mainstream is being described as a “cautionary tale”, where “three people struggle to preserve their identities as they form an eccentric love triangle within the fast-moving internet age." The story is frighteningly imaginable. Maya Hawke, whose face you will remember from Stranger Things, plays the character Frankie – a Los Angeles bartender tired of her day job and trying to 'make it' in some way. Andrew Garfield stars alongside her, as the mysterious and clearly problematic Link.
After they both agree to make the most of their bizarre meeting, Frankie begins to film and document Link's shenanigans; before long, going viral. As you can likely put together, Link quickly becomes the tiresome YouTube star he initially aims to criticise – adopting the vlog name No One Special – ironically, of course.
Watch the trailer for Mainstream, below.
Mainstream also features a stellar list of A-list celebrities who make notable appearances in the film. Euphoria's Alexa Demie, Nat Wolff; who also starred in Palo Alto, Jason Schwartzman, and Johnny Knoxville all make guest appearances. But what would a film about YouTube mega-stars be without appearances from some of the greats? As we already know, Jake Paul has been given some screentime; and joining him is Patrick Starrr and JuanPa Zurita, as well as internet comedian Casey Frey.
To top it off, Dev Hynes has done the score from beginning to end working entirely across composition, performance, mixing, and production, which he released via a Spotify playlist recently. “I love everything Dev makes,” Coppola said in a statement for Milan Records. “For Mainstream, I felt he really tapped into the many emotions you weave through when trying to coexist in this new digital world, yet still keeping it classic.” You can listen, below.
Regardless of what you think of the actual film, there's no denying Garfield's commitment to his Mainstream character, Link, should be applauded. There's no confirmation on when Mainstream will be available to Australian audiences, but keep your eye out for more details to come on the film. It's sure to be a doozy.
