Gummo (1997)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Harmony Korine

Writer:

Harmony Korine (written by)

Release Date:

17 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Prepare to visit a town you'd never want to call home.

Plot:

Lonely residents of a tornado-stricken Ohio town wander the deserted landscape trying to fulfill their boring, nihilistic lives.

Plot Keywords:

Ohio | Tornado | Cat | Cat Killer | Bizarre

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jacob Sewell	...	Bunny Boy
Nick Sutton	...	Tummler
Lara Tosh	...	Girl in Car
Jacob Reynolds	...	Solomon
Darby Dougherty	...	Darby
Chloë Sevigny	...	Dot (as Chloe Sevigny)
Carisa Glucksman	...	Helen
Jason Guzak	...	Skinhead #1
Casey Guzak	...	Skinhead #2
Wendall Carr	...	Huntz
James Lawhorn	...	Cowboy #1
James Glass	...	Cowboy #2
Ellen M. Smith	...	Ellen
Charles Matthew Coatney	...	Eddie
Harmony Korine	...	Boy on Couch

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive depiction of anti-social behavior of juveniles,including violence, substance abuse,sexuality and language.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:16+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Australia:R | France:-16 | Japan:PG-12 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (edited for re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Fine Line Features

Trivia:

Earlier cuts of the movie were described by US censors as nihilist in their intentions, until Harmony Korine toned down a lot of the content.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene when the two young 'cowboys' are breaking stuff, they break a car window but in the next shot the car window is intact.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Solomon: [voiceover] Xenia, Ohio. Xenia, Ohio. A few years ago, a tornado hit this place. It killed the people, left and right. Dogs died. Cats died. Houses were split open, and you could see necklaces hanging from branches of trees. People's legs and neck bones were sticking out...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gitarrmongot (2004)

Soundtrack:

Mom and Dad's Pussy

Misunderstood Genius

Gummo is a film of substance, a rare thing in this time of Estee Lauder actresses and pec enhanced tree trunks stumbling around the kindergarten dialogue. Reality TV before it became anachronistic. A film that demands a second viewing to truly understand the director's vision is a rare thing; my initial impression was of a mockery of Red Necked America, but now after several viewings I understand it as a celebration of the sidelined aspect of American culture. Unafraid to pull its punches, unafraid to deal with the shocking, the jarring, the discomforting; it is a film that is mostly about killing cats and sniffing glue. Possibly a freak show, but one done in the style of the old freak shows - the freaks call the shots and they revel in their opportunities. A piece best enjoyed at 5 am on a Sunday morning after burning the midnight oil, when your nerves are raw and you need something with bite to cut through the fog. Nobody has created such vivid set pieces and each time you review the film there is a new mullet to admire, a chair to be beaten, a Down's Syndrome prostitute to mull over. Prepare to be shocked and provoked whilst being entertained; when the film finishes you are compelled to take stock of what you have seen and in my eyes that is what films are for. A hearty thumbs up.