Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, it's a freaking brilliant film! Even if the source material wound up being a lie-- it DOES really capture the particular strain of social conservatism, misogyny, and racism in south Brooklyn and Staten Island that still persists. Nowadays, one would say it's a very Trumpian pocket of NYC.

I think it definitely did a great job at portraying a young and nihilistic guy whose worldview is colored by that environment, and not having much opportunity or drive until his brother encourages him to take dancing seriously.

Now that we're finally beginning to discuss consent and women's sexual agency more as a society, I think a *lot* of us are looking back to the reeeeeallly horrible things we remember from media and real life of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and hell, my gen in the 00s. 1999-2001 was this really weird reckoning for casual sex and misogyny, and SO many people have noticed. Since I'm writing a screenplay taking place in that exact timeframe, it's been a trip revisiting it and things like...are NOT much better in some ways, but at least the conversations are more honest?

I knew a girl in the punk scene around that time who had a consensual threesome with two guys in a band we hung around with regularly. She was trashed for it SO badly and I was just WTF...that's one of my biggest fantasies and I'd OWN that shit! She basically got ran out of town for it! But guys who straight up raped girls? No consequences unless some of the other guys at the top patently didn't like him. It was incredibly disillusioning that even a supposedly subversive alt culture could be so patriarchal.

I've been the subject of punk scene locker room talk. I've slammed it back in guys' faces. Women who have lots of consensual sex sooner get shamed for it than rapists.