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Tarnation
Tarnation
7.4
/10
1,080 Ratings

TARNATION

Directed by Jonathan Caouette
United States, 2003
Documentary, Avant-Garde, Biography, LGBTQ+

Synopsis

Raised in Texas, shuttled between foster parents, his grandparents and Renee, the schizophrenic mother he adored, Jonathan Caouette made himself the star of his own videocam. At 31, drawing from his own home-movies, photographs and even answerphone messages, he explores the break-up of his family.

Synopsis

Raised in Texas, shuttled between foster parents, his grandparents and Renee, the schizophrenic mother he adored, Jonathan Caouette made himself the star of his own videocam. At 31, drawing from his own home-movies, photographs and even answerphone messages, he explores the break-up of his family.

Our take

In Jonathan Caouette’s unnerving work of catharsis–an unmissable offering of queer cinema–the image-making process becomes a volatile yet therapeutic means of survival. Culled from hours of mixed visual materials, this stunning reflection on mental illness journeys through both darkness and light.