It's bleak, brutal and redeemed only by Reynolds's outstanding performance.
Gummo (1997)
Runtime: 88 mins
Synopsis: More a poetic collage than a narrative story, GUMMO presents the viewer with a lavish feast of images--some disturbing, some gorgeous, all memorable. In the small impoverished town of Xenia, Ohio, Solomon (Jacob Reynolds) and Tummler (Nick Sutton) spend their teenage boyhood killing... More a poetic collage than a narrative story, GUMMO presents the viewer with a lavish feast of images--some disturbing, some gorgeous, all memorable. In the small impoverished town of Xenia, Ohio, Solomon (Jacob Reynolds) and Tummler (Nick Sutton) spend their teenage boyhood killing cats, sniffing glue, and generally trying to alleviate their boredom. The town's other residents find their own amusements. Solomon's mother (Linda Manz, of DAYS OF HEAVEN, a film that GUMMO's dreamlike imagery evokes) tap-dances, local teen siren Dot (Chloë Sevigny) puts tape on her nipples, and Bunny Boy (Jacob Sewell) explores the desolate suburban landscape on his skateboard, wearing pink rabbit ears. Xenia and its inhabitants have never quite recovered from the tornado that ripped the town apart 20 years ago; the place remains inside out, raw, and shattered. GUMMO's gritty realism is enhanced by director Harmony Korine's use of real locations in and around Nashville, Tennessee, and his use of nonprofessional local actors in many of the film's roles. These techniques harken back to filmmakers such as Werner Herzog and John Cassavetes, both of whom Korine cites as influences. Korine's willingness to explore the borderlands of feature filmmaking has resulted in a beautiful and challenging film whose haunting images remain long after it's over. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jacob Reynolds, Chloë Sevigny, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, Darby Dougherty
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 3, 2002
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Snap Case
- Widescreen
Audio:
- Dolby Digital - English
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary - 1. Harmony Korine - Director
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Filmographies - 1. Cast & Crew
- Stills/Photos - 1. Animated Photo Gallery with Commentary by Harmony Korine
Reviews
Problematic, troubling, dangerous even, but breathtakingly original, and absolutely true to the times. The cutting edge doesn't get any sharper than this.
The effect is as horribly funny as it is depressing, but gets pretty hard to take after a while, especially for anyone who is a committed cat-lover.
Enfant terrible Harmony Korine makes a bizarre, idiosyncratic directing debut with his uncompromising look at youth alientaion in Middle-America, whose downbeat tone and off-putting imagery should appeal to small minority of viewers.
C'mon, Harmony. Mano a boyo. What are you really trying to prove here?
Korine is the Jerry Springer of this world. He doesn't judge his subjects, he can still identify with them.
Enter Harmony Korine's directorial debut: new trends in discouraging filmmaking.
In real life, this town was devastated by a tornado 20 years ago. According to Korine's version of things, it never recovered.
Related Forums
by: sollyssoldiers 8/21/03
News
posted by Mark Olsen April 30, 2008
After an eight-year absence -- and some stranger-than-fiction twists and turns -- writer/director Harmony Korine...


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