Nowhere (1997)

Director:

Gregg Araki

Writer:

Gregg Araki (written by)

Release Date:

9 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

"sexy, psychedelic, dementedly funny, with a sensational soundtrack... it's like clueless with nipple rings."

Plot:

The third film in a trilogy by writer-director Gregg Araki. Described as "90210 on acid", the film tells the story of a day in the lives of a group of high school kids Los Angeles and the strange lives they lead.

Plot Keywords:

Bisexual | Homosexual | Alien Abduction | Rape | Idol

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Duval	...	Dark Smith
Rachel True	...	Mel
Nathan Bexton	...	Montgomery
Chiara Mastroianni	...	Kriss
Debi Mazar	...	Kozy
Kathleen Robertson	...	Lucifer
Joshua Gibran Mayweather	...	Zero
Jordan Ladd	...	Alyssa
Christina Applegate	...	Dingbat
Sarah Lassez	...	Egg / Polly
Guillermo Díaz	...	Cowboy (as Guillermo Diaz)
Jeremy Jordan	...	Bart Sighvatssohn
Alan Boyce	...	Handjob
Jaason Simmons	...	The Teen Idol
Ryan Phillippe	...	Shad

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of strong violence, sexuality and drug use involving teens, and for strong language.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:R | France:-16 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Italy:VM18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Blurco

Trivia:

The final scene involving Montgomery's transformation into a bug is suggestive of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

Goofs:

Continuity: Dark's facial stubble changes constantly.

Quotes:

Ducky: Have you seen Egg? It's her turn to recycle the aluminum.
Dingbat: Oh my god. You haven't heard? Your sister just left here with... You're not even gonna believe this... Do you ever watch Baywatch?

Movie Connections:

References "Baywatch" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Seekers Who Are Lovers (The Otherness Mix)

A masterpiece

This, along with "The Doom Generation", is one of my many favorite films. I remember showing this to quite a few people at different times, and two things seem to upset people the most: the bisexuality/homoeroticism and the loads of sex scenes that, depending on the scene, serve various purposes. One person I watched it with (she thought she was an intellectual and felt it was beneath her to sit through it) said there was no way this film could be saying anything important and called it a "porno movie". Naturally, since this film shows not one exposed genital organ or even a bare female breast, her argument was ridiculous. As for the homosexual things that go on in the film, I think that that makes people upset because it depicts these characters as human beings with emotions (which homosexuals and bisexuals are) and/or because it turns them on. I love this movie for many reasons. It's very schizophrenic, always going back and forth from harsh realities to gutbusting humor, and sometimes managing to blend them together in a strange and equal mix. It seems that Gregg Araki was trying to defy expectations of him here, and that he was trying not to make a film easily judged as "exploitation". This movie has more sex scenes than "The Doom Generation", but they are not explicit at all. The reasons these scenes are erotic and entertaining is because Araki works with the characters and dialogue to make the sex interesting without showing any nudity other than the occasional male butt. Also, where there would be so many people to call "The Doom Generation" garbage for its constant use of obvious profanities, the dialogue in "Nowhere", if you'll notice, was done without hardly any cusswords, unless you count the myriad of VERY creative slang terms poured all throughout. And as for the gore, there's one big scene and one brief, minor scene. What I find amazing is that even with these differences, "Nowhere" is no less fascinating and brutally effective than "The Doom Generation". I love them both, and, no matter how many disagree, I believe Araki is a very important, skillful, and versatile cinematic artist. I've decided to include no spoilers, but I do want to add one more thing: If you don't see any meaning to this, that still doesn't mean that it is completely meaningless and without a point.