The Travails of the Astounding!

I saw Gummo (Directed by Harmony Korine, who also did KIDS) today @ Kathy and Josh's. It's a film that creeps you out by appealing to your sense of what you know is believable, even banal about the southern United States. And for the same reasons Gummo is undeniably enchanting. It aimlessly follows around the young and wild population of a small Ohio town. These kids (most of whom are first time actors) will smoke, hunt cats, love, break innumerable laws, fuck, get high, smash, and kill by the time the end credits roll. While it might be tempting to demand that we see more growth or maturation in some of the main characters, the film does a convincing job of showing you 'how it is' and not how we would like it to be. Interestingly, it does this while simultaneously never insulting our intelligence, or it's own. And although you might not have been treated to Oscar winning performances, that does not diminish the impact of the reality represented here. 4/5 Stars