Gummo

Gummo is a nonlinear narrative centered around the residents of Xenia, Ohio. After a tornado devastated their town the surviving residents pass the time by any sadistic means possible. A long day of feral cat hunting ends with a brief discussion of crème brûlée before a session of glue huffing, followed by a visit to a local prostitute suffering from Down Syndrome. It's as if Deliverance and Apocalypse Now had a child, abused it, and left it to its own devices. Horrifying is a word that comes to mind when attempting to evaluate this film. Drunken chair-wrestling, random acts of molestation, and casual conversations ranging in topics from cat burnings to their general dislike of African Americans are pretty typical. The only thing more trash filled, filthy, and septic then their homes, is their gene pool. Life in rural Ohio has never seemed so nihilistic. Though disturbing, I found this to be a quietly beautiful film. Both hyper-real and utterly surreal, it's stylized aesthetic is perfectly suited for the subject and premise. Rich symbolism and unforgettable images demand ones attention in an unrelenting assault on the Status Que. Unsettling and humbling, we are given a glimpse of inbred Americana straddling the border of malignant sadism and total insanity. The story telling style of Harmony Korine reminds me of the work of Terrence Malick, with the addition of a little incest.

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.

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.

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.