Gummo (1997)

Wonderful character development!

The greatest movie ever made..!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

"Gummo" is one of the most accurate portrayals of small-town life to ever be brought to the screen. It perfectly captures the tone, spirit, and environment of a poor, white-trash town, especially the way that horrible acts can be brought on by nothing more than sheer boredom.But this is not a gritty, realistic social commentary on youth, as Larry Clark's seminal "Kids", also written by Harmony Korine, was. Instead, it's something more fascinating. Because while the film is not completely realistic, it doesn't tip over into complete surrealism, either. And instead of resulting in a project that doesn't know what it wants to be, it helps the film achieve the exact, dream-like aesthetic that it sets out for.Korine shows the same knack for pacing and dialogue that he did in "Kids", even if he uses it to create a much more nonlinear narrative this time around. He views his characters on their own terms, not as freaks or degenerates, and seems to have a certain level of respect for them. He is not making fun of anyone; he's forming a tribute to the types of people he grew up with.Also as in "Kids", the cast feels authentic (Chloe Sevigny & Carisa Glucksman, stars of that film, reappear here). Both the actors (Sevigny, Linda Manz) and the non-actors (Nick Sutton, Bryant Crenshaw) hit exactly the right note, whether it be humor, sadness, or a bizarre combination. Jacob Reynolds, as the protagonist Solomon, is a particular standout, portraying a misguided & disconcerting, yet oddly sympathetic, youth.While it may not have had the impact that Korine wished it to (calling it in interviews "a new type of film"), "Gummo" is still one of the most fascinating and indescribable films of the past twenty-five years. Whether you love it or hate it, it won't be easily forgotten.

I had seen scenes of this movie in random horrible deep web videos trying to be scary, and I decided to watch this movie. This movie is truly, honestly.. about nothing. There is no plot to this movie. Honestly, nothing happens that changes a character in any way, nothing happens that moves the plot forward, because there is none. The movie is a bunch of scenes of people in a city in Ohio, living degenerate lives, basically doing whatever they want to do. I'm writing this review directly after watching it, and as of right now, I can't think of any reason why this movie exists. I don't say that as a negative, but as me admitting that I have no idea what this movie is trying to say. Maybe the point of this movie is to show how horrible people can be, but I'm not sure in the slightest. The one thing I can give this movie is that its got some pretty memorable scenes. This movie has a lot of nuggets of goodness in it, cinematography wise, while also trying to be intentionally bad looking sometimes, which I personally take on the stance that its intentional to make the movie as dirty and rough as the world the characters live in. This review might be a little all over the place with the tone, but I honestly think this movie's alright. Its not terrible, and I wasn't even bored in the slightest watching it, and I believe the director did what he was trying to do; make a rough, dirty, pointless movie about life in a world with degenerate people. Footnote: I find myself confused on if I should even check this "contains spoilers" checkbox for a movie like this, haha.

If you are looking for structure or a true story line don't watch this film. That however doesn't mean it's a bad film. If you are an independent buff you will love this work. If not .. then it would leave you saying WTF was this person thinking LOL It is bizarre, disgusting and horrifying, yet you have to see what's coming next. Because you in no way know .. It is an interesting work, and a film I own and pull out and watch every now and again. It changes scenes revolving around a small group of characters that are sure to surprise/offend. Probably the thing I found interesting and it's not something you catch when you first watch it, is that there pretty much is no parental supervision throughout the film.

Gummo is by far one of my favorite movies ever. Not following standard cinematic techniques and ideas, gummo is more of an experimental/art house film. It follows a small, hurricane stricken community in Xenia, Ohio and the daily struggles with their depressing and nihilistic Life. Nihilism, Religion, Poverty,Drug-use, and mental health are among the numerous issues and subjects explored by Harmony over the course of this film. The film is made up of a number of clips, centred around the people who live in the town. On the surface, this film is pure trash, but the more you delve into the disgusting and filthy masterpiece that is, Gummo, the more tragically beautiful the movie becomes. After watching gummo for the first time, I felt that I needed to have a shower. The movie leaves you feeling disgusting and sickened. And let me warn you, watching gummo is kind of like consuming a Harmony Korine "drug". By this, I mean that you cannot stop thinking about the movie for about 12 hours. Gummo is something that everyone should experience. An art-house cult classic. "Life is great. Without it, you'd be dead."