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Tarnation (2003)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
10 November 2004 (France) moreTagline:
Your greatest creation is the life you leadPlot:
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. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
8 wins & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
On DVD: "Moving Midway," "The Midnight Meat Train" (From IFC. 17 February 2009, 6:59 AM, PST)
A Film Critic Digs Into His Family's Slave-Holding Past
(From IFC. 16 February 2009, 4:39 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Everyone has a story to tell... more (108 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
88 min | Argentina:88 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby SRCertification:
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-12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The original cut of the film ran over 2 hrs. and 40 minutes long. moreSoundtrack:
Reptile moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (108 total)
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Super-8 auteur Jonathan Caouette, a young gay man with an extremely turbulent life, reveals his troubled childhood through home-movies and stills. The worshipful son of a beautiful ex-child model/single mother/electro-shock recipient, Caouette manages, in surprisingly linear fashion considering the circumstances, to paint a vivid portrait of the ultimate dysfunctional family. His grandparents, who ended up adopting Jonathan after his mother was jailed and he went through the horrors of the foster care system, are revealed as loving yet unconcerned older folks with perhaps a secretive, defensive side; Jonathan's mother Renee, once a striking young woman, is the sad result of "medical expertise" gone shatteringly wrong. The film is alternately assaultive, theatrical (Jonathan revealed a highly acute sense of theatricality and love for outré movies at a very young age), amusing, narcissistic, boring, compelling and, finally, quite moving. There are just as many stretches of questionable sincerity on Caouette's part as there are exhilarating moments--a joyous romp on the beach with mom or a beautiful, revealing childhood lip-synching take on "Frank Mills". The alt-rock soundtrack is superb and Caouette, a handsome, playfully schizophrenic star-in-the-making, is a talent to watch. **1/2 from ****