Tarnation (2003)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jonathan Caouette

Writer:

Jonathan Caouette (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 2004 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Your greatest creation is the life you lead

Plot:

Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more -- culled from 19 years of his life.

Plot Keywords:

Video | Child Abuse | Rape | Lithium | Autobiographical

Awards:

8 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Renee Leblanc	...	Herself
Jonathan Caouette	...	Himself
Adolph Davis	...	Himself
Rosemary Davis	...	Herself
David Sanin Paz	...	Himself
Joshua Williams	...	Himself
Michael Cox	...	Guy cussing in short film
David Leblanc	...	Himself
Stacey Mowery	...	Herself
Michael Mouton	...	Himself
Greg Ayres	...	Himself (as Bam-Bam)
Vanda Stovall	...	Herself
Dagon James	...	Himself
Vivian Kalinov	...	Herself (as Girl in Student Film)
Steve Caouette	...	Himself
Lisa Berri	...	Blue Velvet cast
Kelli Brisbane	...	Blue Velvet cast (as Kellie Brisbane)
Mike Smith Rivera	...	Blue Velvet cast (as Apocalypse Clown)
Miek Coccia	...	Blue Velvet cast
Caity Creitz	...	Blue Velvet cast
Daniel Letterle	...	Blue Velvet cast
Sterling Price McKinney	...	Blue Velvet cast
Michael Sillery	...	Blue Velvet cast
Layard Thompson	...	Blue Velvet cast

Directed by
Jonathan Caouette

Writing credits
Jonathan Caouette		(written by)

Produced by
Vanessa Arteaga	....	executive producer
Jason Banker	....	associate producer
Jonathan Caouette	....	producer
Marie Therese Guirgis	....	executive producer
John Cameron Mitchell	....	executive producer
Gus Van Sant	....	executive producer
Ryan Werner	....	executive producer
Stephen Winter	....	producer

Original Music by
John Califra
Max Avery Lichtenstein

Cinematography by
Jonathan Caouette

Film Editing by
Jonathan Caouette
Brian A. Kates		(co-editor)

Production Management
Robert Warmflash	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Jonathan Caouette	....	sound
Sean England	....	digital archivist
Lora Hirschberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Brandon Proctor	....	sound mix technician
Daniel Sperry	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Dan Sperry)

Visual Effects by
Jason Banker	....	digital effects

Editorial Department
George Bunce	....	on-line editor: high definition video
Don Ciana	....	color timer
Michael Haertlein	....	post-production assistant
Peter Heady	....	on-line editor: HDTV
Florence Holdeman	....	assistant editor
Brian Patchett	....	assistant editor: high definition
Jamila Qazi	....	editing coordinator
Shelby Siegel	....	additional editor

Music Department
Jim Black	....	music supervisor
John Califra	....	orchestral score producer
John Califra	....	orchestrator
Milan Cimfe	....	orchestral score producer
Milan Cimfe	....	score ProTools operator
Pavel Karlik	....	assistant to score recording engineer
Pavel Karlik	....	orchestral score producer

Other crew
Mickey Cottrell	....	publicist
Tristan Cowen	....	assistant to producer
Peter Cross	....	legal counsel
Mayur Deshmukh	....	production assistant
Don Farber	....	legal counsel
Tenley Gillmore	....	production assistant
Michael Haertlein	....	production assistant
Roberta Morris Purdee	....	rights and clearances
Troy Nuyens	....	production assistant
Joe Pagano	....	plant manager
Wade H.W. Rudolph	....	production assistant (as Wade Rudolph)
Tracey Soast	....	video coordinator
Joe Violante	....	technical advisor

Thanks
Tristan Cowen	....	thanks
Roger Ebert	....	thanks
Krystal Kennedy	....	thanks
Paul Morrissey	....	thanks
Dolly Parton	....	thanks
David Sanin Paz	....	special thanks
Michael Sillery	....	special thanks
Stephen Sprouse	....	special thanks
Michael Thornton	....	thanks
Dany Wolf	....	thanks

Distributors

• Filmmuseum Distributie (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Herald Film Company (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• U Talkin 2 Me (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Wellspring Media (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• BBC Storyville (2006) (UK) (TV)
• Four Films (2006) (Chile) (all media)

Other Companies

• F.I.L.M. Archives  archival film
• Home Movie Project  super 8 transfers
• Karmic Release Ltd.  rights and clearances
• Postworks New York  digital intermediate
• Skywalker Sound  post-production sound
• Sono Recording Studios  score recorded at (as Sono Studios)

Runtime:

88 min | Argentina:88 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:14 (video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated | Norway:15 | Japan:PG-12

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

The original cut of the film ran over 2 hrs. and 40 minutes long.

Movie Connections:

Features Free to Be... You & Me (1974) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Reptile

narcissistic, moving, intriguing

Undeniably moving, brilliantly edited autobiographical assemblage, particularly strong in its integration of the footage with well-chosen music tracks. Despite being quite narcissistic and closed in the centre (the historical and social context of the life is never explored), the film does nevertheless document a wider history than a personal one - that of both gay experience in the US and the disempowerment of individuals by an authoritarian and harmful medical establishment. There is something uncomfortable about the degree with which Caouette needs to have a film camera in his own and his loved-ones' face every time something traumatic happens or is harked back to, but this makes him an emblematic representative of a generation which has been brought up with filmed media mediating all aspects of the real.

The film's faults are the faults of American culture - soap operatic concentration on the trials and tribulations of intrapersonal relationships and a self-involved revolving around personal issues; but curiously, the films Americanism is its strength as well, as it possesses enormous emotional candour and real heart. It will be interesting to see if Caouette can apply his film-making acumen to subjects other than himself.

It has to be admitted that Tarnation would never have got anywhere if he hadn't been so personally photogenic and physically attractive. The indie and gay establishment wouldn't have been interested in the traumas of a fat, ugly, charisma-less queen...