Gummo [VHS]

This is an extraordinary film that lives on in your mind afterwards - whether it is "Bunny Boy" piddling on the highway from a bridge to the strange song that opens the film, the imp like boy who dominates the film and looks like he was originally a gargoyle on Notre Dame, the hunting of cats and the strange white trash that inhabit the film, this is pure American Gothic filmed with verve by Harmony Korine. This is not so much the American Dream gone wrong as the American Dream on steroids and rapidly going round the bend. I loved it. Don't try to understand it. Just sit back and let it wash over you.

This DVD is a European Import which is why the cover and menus are in French. But the film still plays in English. Just select 'langues', change the audio to 'Version originale', and remove the subtitles by selecting Sous-titres -> Sans. Then select 'lecture' (playback) and voila, the DVD will play in English without subtitles.The picture and sound quality are very good, but the film runs at 85 mins, I thought the original film was 89 minutes, so this may be a cut-down version.Now for the content. I have to say, this is probably one of the strangest films I have ever seen. There is no plot at all, just a series of scenes, some of which are connected. The film is supposed to depict "the aftermath of a tornado-stricken Ohio town" with "deserted landscapes" but I was not always convinced by this. Scenes with a busy highway and packed shopping-mall car-park reveal life going on as normal, just outside the filthy houses and gardens where most of the film takes place. The depressing characters and their odd (sometimes revolting) behaviour is more likely the product of an underclass, the result of years of economic deprivation. They spend their days drinking, fighting, killing cats, talking about killing cats and just acting generally weird. In fact the weirder the premise of the scene, the more successful it is.The weaker scenes are those where the scripted dialogue is too much for the unprofessional actors and the scene comes off as amateurish. These are the exception though. Mostly, the scenes feel real, and although the majority of the film is scripted the dialogue often feels improvised, which is a success of sorts.The film is often funny too. A typical scene involves a bunch of drunks in a kitchen all arm-wrestling each other and finishes with a guy wrestling a chair. Another scene shows a young teenager eating his spaghetti and milk dinner in a bath of filthy water while having his hair washed by his mother. The scene is amusing, disgusting and quite touching at the same time. In fact the film as a whole treads a fine line between humour and disgust and does it well. Some scenes however can get a little tedious, such as one where a girl shaves her eyebrows off.Intermingled with this strangeness are random, meaningless shots of stuff I can't even begin to explain. I guess the fascination of this film comes from never knowing what is coming next. Even the weaker scenes usually give way to something oddly watchable. I was disappointed when the film finished so it must have something going for it. A hypnotic quality, like an accident you can't tear your eyes away from. For that reason I give it a generous 3 and a half stars.

if you like odd films which portray a distopian life without fantasy, this will be for you.

If your looking for this film in uk format , this is the one to go for, have been looking for a copy of this film ever since I rented it on a whim in VHS format approx 15 years ago. Was a bit anxious when the film arrived and the wrapping was French but just choose English for the language option and its fine . Obviously the film remains the same as the one I saw 15 yrs ago , but somehow has lost some of the shock that I felt on watching the first time. Is that a reflection of the times we live in ? It probably is........Ok its a bit pricey but I haven't seen it anywhere else in UK format so, buy , enjoy, accept, have faith that we can reflect the inevitability that this is our future. Good Luck, and where can you buy those rabbit ears?

the last time i saw this film, was on channel 5, way back in 2002, and HMV told me that i could not get it on DVD. and bbfc, told me that icould not get it on DVD.

a really great movie and it works great, only annoying thing is that the cover and menu is french

Want something different watch thisGo in not knowing anything about itLove it or hate it filmDive in to the mind of young harmony korine

Watch this film you won't regret it! Just go in with an open mind, ps not for cat lovers! Peace