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To sneak a peek through the peephole that is Gummo is to be pulled trough a small town tour of torture and depravity. It's bizzare and unnerving mix of character studies is as disturbing as it is depressing as it is facinating. It's so sour I can't even imagine what a screenplay would look like let alone the mind of the one who wrote it. I loved the style / format and uncompromising abrasiveness. Very unique, and I'll be hard pressed to find someone to recommend it to, though when I do I definitely will.

After every scene you have to ask "what in the flying f--- am I watching?" It IS unique art though and deserves some stars for that. Absurd to the nth degree with no particular plot or story line. Much of it could be described as hilariously entertaining in the same disturbing way that watching two dogs fight over a chicken bone could be. I laughed my a-- off through most of it, but near the end it got sad. You start to feel guilty for mocking these miserable people. But, mostly you come away asking "why do people reproduce?" and wonder how much better this planet would be without us abysmal creatures running around wrecking the place.

Gummo as a film is intriguing, following around multiple groups of misfits and learning their life in the aftermath of a tornado.

Where this movie shocks , it also often disturbs. An over the top storyline with subject matters such as animal cruelty, adolescent abuse, addiction among other mature themes - it also opens the eyes to bring insight to rural delinquency. The subjects of doing unspeakable tasks to make ends meet and buy some snacks, overcoming a common foe (in the case of the arm wrestling scene and the father) to be met with anger and backlash instead of appraisal from the family.. There's plenty of great examples in this film that bring some honest insight to being in the slums.

Overall this film left me thinking deep on my upbringing, how things can more chaotic such as these over amplified scenarios. Regardless of some of the foul subject matter, Harmony Korine opens the eyes to some of the very real and disturbing matters that happen not only in small towns but all around the world.

Remember when you were in grade school and the weird kids down the block were doing something that looked, well, interesting, and your mom told you to stay away? Did you? Did you ever wonder what it was they were up to down there, behind the garage, in the basement of someone's house, over by the bowling alley?

Rent Gummo and find out. Mama wasn't as stupid as you thought.

Set in Xenia, Ohio, Gummo feels like a deliberate riposte to Hollywood by its creator, Harmony Korine, whose penchant for subversion was already evident in his screen writing debut for Larry Clark's Kids (1995). Eschewing linear narrative, Korine explores, through the use of vignettes and bizarre episodes, the cat-killing escapades of its two protagonists and weaves this quest around a set of unrelated but bizarre events taking place in Xenia. There is no sense of a story, only a mood, and that mood fluctuates wildly from revulsion to surprise. By giving voice to those marginalized from society, Korine paints a startling portrait of landlocked America, one at odds with the Hollywood cliché of its inhabitants. There are many unforgettable scenes and yet it's not an enjoyable film, but it challenges, provokes and pushes the margins - and that in itself is worthy.

Well, I'd heard a lot about this film before I bought it, but nothing I was told really prepared me for how different this film is from anything else I've seen. On first viewing, Gummo appears to be a collection of random events, but after watching it a few more times, it it becomes more obvious how each scene and character link together (although there are still a few that I am unsure of!!). The nearest analogy I can think of is of a music album. Each scene is like a song that can be enjoyed on its own, but when the album is listened to as a whole it becomes much more than just a collection of songs, all linked in their own way. Plus, like a great album, the more times you listen\watch, the more you get out of it.

People will criticise this film for having no plot and to start with I agreed, but if you work hard to understand the film then you will get much more reward and enjoyment then from most Hollywood blockbuster's. The beauty of Gummo really is that there are so many questions that you can and will watch it again and again and get something different every time. This film is reasonably short, but it is probably the only film I have seen where every scene has worked. I am a very difficult viewer to please, but every scene in this film kept me enthralled and I did not want to fast forward once, even in the times I have watched it since (about 15 times!!)

A magnificent film, and a great directorial debut from a name to watch in the future - Harmony Korine.

The only reason I gave this film any stars is because it was intriguing to say the least. But one reviewer put it best by saying that people act like they 'Get' this film. There's nothing to get, don't act like this is an artistic film because it's not. It's made purely for shock value and that's it. There's no storyline, at least not a real one. It basically follows two young kids around a trashy town as they kill cats for money and have sex with ugly hookers. There's very off-putting scenes that will make you cringe, and it's hard to watch.

Don't fall into the loop, if you didn't like this film that's okay. If you enjoyed this, ask yourself why? What could possibly make you enjoy watching this? The fact that the crew in the film 'Belly' were watching this amazes me. I wondered what they were watching and before I even saw the scene with the rabbit I knew it was from this.

So while it has a little value for how disgusting it is, it's not something that should be celebrated. Anybody could make a film like this, people just don't want to because the target audience is too small. There's not enough inbred, white trash, rejects from hell to support a film like this. If you hate animals and like to see them tortured and abused you have bigger problems than liking this film. It falls into the category of the Canadian film 'Leolo', but even that film had some artistic integrity.

This film is a unique moment. People who knock it for lack of "plot", or characters have missed the point. For a start the characters are an incredibly rich mixture of people and personalities, who are far more interesting than most Hollywood blank, 2D, characters. While there may not be a plot, it doesn't need one because the different stories it tells weave together perfectly and you get a great picture of the town and its residents.

The film is shot brilliantly as well, Korine using so many different techniques so effectively. The editing is the same, bringing all the different parts together superbly In short, one of the best films ever. Ever. OK.

Gummo was very good. I thought it was a documentary really. The actors didn't come off as actors at all and I am sure that some of the people used were just being themselves. I thought the movie was very funny and honest. People are actually like this in real life. The music was put in the right places- I especially liked the bike scene at the beginning when the two boys were riding down the hill- the one kid looks like Johnny Rotten at 14. The reality of the film is rather depressing but this is what a lot of America is like- the grimy scene when the two boys get milkshakes was a great slice of the crappy culture that is much of the United States and of the world. Very good film all around. Nihilistic.

GUMMO is the tightest, most consistent, and honest portrayal of youth's quest for love in a society that has forsaken them ever made. Forget the comedy, forget the outstanding photography, forget the heart stopping art direction. This movie is about the little people forgotten between the cracks who seek acceptance amid overwhelming obstacles of hatred, crime, poverty, disease, and twists of fate that leave them alone and groping for comfort. Almost every character is screaming out for love in one way or another, however dysfunctional their lives may be. All of these issues are real - even if exaggerated in the film - and there are thousands of kids out there who in their own beautiful way are trying to live their lives despite the cruelty of a world that will just crap on them. The next time you watch this film, look for the tenderness between the mayhem...

Gummo is one of the more unconventional pieces I've come across. On the positive side, the film does tackle some intriguing themes. Its exploration of small-town life and the disconnection felt by its characters offers a raw, if unsettling, glimpse into a world that's often overlooked. The thematic focus on isolation and societal neglect is thought-provoking and can resonate with viewers who appreciate a more offbeat narrative.

The film's visual style is also noteworthy. The use of stark, sometimes jarring imagery creates a distinct atmosphere that effectively conveys the film's sense of alienation and despair. The lack of traditional structure and plot might appeal to those who enjoy experimental cinema and are looking for something outside the norm.

However, the film's eccentricities can be quite off-putting. Its non-linear narrative and disjointed scenes might leave some viewers struggling to find a coherent thread. The film's ability to disturb is undeniable; its graphic and often grotesque content can be overwhelming and alienating. This unsettling approach might be too intense for those who prefer more conventional storytelling or lighter subject matter.

Overall, it's a film with a unique vision and bold themes, but its eccentricities and disturbing elements make it a challenging watch. If you're drawn to experimental cinema and can handle its more unsettling aspects, it's worth a look. Otherwise, it might be best approached with caution.

Absolutely and utterly the most cloyingly nauseating movie experience of my life. GUMMO has no redeeming qualities, no plot, no acting, no production values, and no writing worth a tinker's damn. If a freak show intrigues you, then you may benefit from it. Otherwise follow the advise from Monty Python's killer rabbit crew and RUN AWAY! GUMMO is to movies what barf pools are to dive bar latrines. I paid to see this insipid paean to teen angst way back when it came out and so I watched it all the way through, although, in order not to gnaw my hands of, I resorted to sticking needles in my eyes to distract me from the dour farce perpetrated on the now forever stained screen before me. If this isn't the worst move ever in the whole of the known universe, then I'm sure you can see it from here. Horrid.

Gummo is the directorial debut of Harmony Korine, who wrote the screenplay for Larry Clark's acclaimed and highly provocative youth film Kids (1995). Here he descends into even more misery, now among some misfit souls for a couple of summer days in the more seedy neighborhoods of Nashville.

It is in a way both extremely provocative and cynical. Many would turn off the movie after a while. Applies to having a hell of a lot of patience to just bear and even want to take part in this surreal mess of everything and nothing. At first glance, it is extremely difficult to find any common thread or even see a sense of the film.

At the same time, it is difficult to look away, as it has something unique in the documentary structure. It is still a reality that exists out there. Which should perhaps be made clear even within the regular feature film. A reality many people close their eyes to and which shows what class society has created.

Today, Gummo is both iconic and cult, so from a film historical perspective it is still quite significant. I think that sometimes these "artworks" of hopelessness and sadness still create thoughts and reflections that give people more understanding and that give birth to something good in the end.

Extremely disturbing film, kind of like a documentary without any narrative. Takes place in the town of Xenia, Ohio in the aftermath of a tornado. The characters are all extremely bizarre, which makes the viewer wonder how realistic things are. The settings, including messy houses and barren streets, are profoundly depressing. Still, there is a sensitivity behind the darkness that lends the film a strangely warm feeling. As well, one feels for the "main characters" (though these characters don't inhabit the film in a traditional sense) despite their misguided acts. Worth seeing for open-minded, patient audiences who don't mind abstract plots and off-topic segues.

Marking the directorial debut of transgressive filmmaker Harmony Korine, Gummo is an intriguingly bleak endeavor that captures the essence of midwestern America through the eyes of the impoverished. Executed in a non linear format, the best way to analyze this feature is through the subtext of collage and visual sensory that jumps from one vignette to another.

Rather than being about one specific character alone, Korine chooses to depict a wide variety of people who are all portrayed in grotesque yet understandable ways. Whether they be murdering cats for income, scouring junkyards, vandalizing homes or having drunken purges, many of the idiosyncratic characters shown in the film are fascinating due to how believably grim and brutal they are, much like the kinds of lowlife trash that Korine wanted to depict in his filmography. As bizarrely fragmented as the story appears to be, there is still a lot going on that could either pique your curiosity or offend your senses. The disturbing atmosphere could be a make or break deal for many, especially since the film forces you to confront the strange. It is as narratively disjointed as it is humanely substantial.

In addition to the characters themselves appearing as earnest as lowlife trash can get, the cinematography captures the unsettling rawness of American life. Much like the homeschool style editing, the movie almost feels like a dream you won't forget anytime soon. In fact, considering that the film's depicted town of Xenia, Ohio is implied to have been damaged by a tornado, one could almost view this film as an ongoing nightmare that the featured characters cannot escape from. Be it shocking or not, the bold creative choices in Gummo are truly captivating from near start to finish. You might not know what to make of it, but it won't leave your brain anytime soon.

SPOILER: Don't let anyone tell you you're close-minded if you hated this movie. This movie was, beyond an inkling of a flicker of a shadow of a doubt, egregiously awful. There are always going to be wannabe artsy types out there who claim to see things other people don't; they "get" movies like Gummo, or at least they pretend to, so they can act as if they're in on something the rest of the world just isn't smart enough to understand. The truth is, though, that there is absolutely nothing to get. This movie is not innovative, nor intriguing, nor even interesting in the least. There's no underlying meaning to it at all (writer/director Harmony Korine admitted as much in an interview). It's just a loosely continuous assembly of vignettes depicting random scenes of filth, squalor, and depravity.

The movie is not a social commentary, as some have argued. It offers no insight into the lives of the people it exploits. The entire backstory-the tornado-serves only as an excuse for the rest of the thing, as if it mattered. It goes like this: first, we get to watch a shirtless boy in a bunny hood spit and urinate off an overpass; next, we meet two teenagers who ride their bikes around the desolate and dilapidated town, looking for cats they can kill and sell to a local restaurant owner; then, we're introduced to three bleach-blonde sisters who don't seem to have any parents and who busy themselves with such activities as ripping electrical tape off their bare nipples. These are the only recurring characters to speak of. Nothing they do is even remotely interesting or entertaining, though. And every other character is memorable only for the few minutes it takes the viewer to rid himself of the feeling of disgust, only to be disgusted again and again by characters he should be feeling sympathy for.

And that's really why this movie is so awful. Don't get me wrong, it'd be awful no matter what, but it wouldn't be entirely without merit if we could actually feel anything other than disdain for the characters. But these are not real people, everything is actually scripted, and none of it is believable at all.

The shock value is negligible; it's not really shocking, but even if it were, there are better movies to watch if that's what you're after. It's not innovative, either-it's actually almost a blatant rip-off of some other, more noteworthy films. It's quite obvious that the only purpose here was to be pretentious. Of course, it probably wasn't meant to be so obvious.

Harmony Korine, although a spoiled rich kid pretending to be a struggling indie filmmaker, is really clever, and deserves credit for his work. Love him or hate him, this movie is spectacular. Although the simple plot line of "White trash living in Ohio" might not seem that enthralling, the way the movie is shot, mixing documentary style (albeit acted) clips with an actual plotline, is excellent. The first time I saw this, I didn't know if it really happened or not, that's how well Harmony pulls it off. And the actors, for having never had parts in anything before (except for a few of them) do an amazing job as well. If you're put off by 'realistic' movies, or are easily disturbed, then yes, this movie will probably upset you. But even if it doesn't appeal to you, it's still a unique and original movie on it's own.

Before you start bashing the movie, ask yourself, "what do I expect from a movie based on destitute, racist, drug addicted people living in a small, small town?"

For many people who know the United States only through cinema, tabloid celebrity-news and TV, the US is the land of the rich and the beautiful. For those people, the likes of Tom Cruise, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, in other words, actors with big, polished grins and empty eyes are the faces of America. And Hollywood is its capital city.

Well, "Gummo" isn't about that America; "Gummo" is the America of the poor, uneducated and the degenerated descendents of the dregs from around the world. These aren't the (supposedly) proud and noble people who came to America on board the Mayflower, but rather those that travelled in the ships hull; those who eventually ended up in some dreary trailer camp and hamlet somewhere in the Midwest, simply because they weren't wanted anywhere else.

"The prophet has no honor in his own country", goes an old saying, which would explain the harsh criticism that director Harmony Korine has received, especially by American critics and reviewers. Too close to home and too harsh a reality, but undeniably a reality that Korine is more than familiar with. Korine descends from a similar environment and I dare say that it took courage to explore such an uncomfortable background.

The closest I can compare "Gummo" to is Werner Herzog's "Stroszek"; not only are the filming techniques very similar (whether Korine is a Herzog-fan I do not know, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least), blending together professionals, amateur- and non-actors seamlessly, but both films have a similar nihilist air, telling stories that are free of redemption, yet captivate the viewer's attention like a travelling freak-show or the birth of a two-headed cow.

One of the main reasons that I was watching "Gummo" in the first place, before even realizing what kind of film it was, was the presence of actor Jacob Reynolds. I had seen Reynolds in "The Road to Wellville", were he has a small but impressive scene as Dr. Kellogg's (Anthony Hopkins) adopted son. Apart from being an excellent actor, Reynolds is ugly. His ugliness, the over-sized head, bird-like features and asymmetric features, glues itself to the eye of the beholder; one could watch him for hours, giving new meaning to the term "so ugly that he's back to beautiful again". A shame that the young actor hasn't been starring in more films and bigger roles, but, like I already said, the industry relies more on pretty and lifeless actors.

Well, this definitely isn't a "pretty picture" – if you want "pretty" or "artificial", I recommend films with above mentioned ladies and gentlemen – and it most likely will not make you feel better if you happened to have a bad day. But it's authentic, and that's not exactly common these days. A movie one either loves or loves to hate.

Years after a tornado has wiped out much of their small town in Ohio, leaving behind nothing but memories and decay, a group of young and old characters react in different ways to the boredom and vacuousness that has settled in around them. The kids torture and sell cats, lift weights, and listen to death metal music, while the addle-pated adults seem to have killed off all their brains cells from one substance or another. Made for just over a million dollars, writer-director Harmony Korine's independent film is preconceived to shock with its depravity. To Korine's credit, the stultified atmosphere of the piece is arresting, the cinematography is scarily good, and--though the amateur acting is sometimes facile--the foul, stunted vocabulary and heartless aimlessness of the characters seems pretty truthful. Chloë Sevigny has a small part (and also designed the costumes!) playing a platinum blonde flirting with a skinny, pasty jock who tells her he has ADD; when Korine relaxes a little bit and just engages in their talk (or in sibling roughhousing, or jumping around on the bed to Buddy Holly's "Everyday"), "Gummo" manages to work a bit of primitive magic. However, the main objective (as I can tell) is to show the bestial nature of human beings who have nothing else to do but lash out. The anger and betrayal these kids feel isn't necessarily addressed verbally (they seem too uneducated to process a genuine thought or articulate their emotions), but it is visualized for us, sometimes graphically. Viewers can argue endlessly whether or not this depiction of human waste is Art...whether or not it is exploitation, common huckstering, completely dishonest, or enlightening. I certainly can see an askew sense of talent (visual talent, anyway) hovering around the movie's edges, but not much entertainment value. If apathy and abject indifference in our society is really this bad, then there's no hope for any of us. The lunatics are running the asylum. * from ****