Nowhere (1997)

dir Gregg Araki

So much happens in the first 5 minutes. Dreamy shower masturbation montage, brilliant red and green contrast, and that haunting shot of James Duval as Dark Smith putting on a pair of jeans without underwear, still half-wet from his shower. Zoinks!

This film is so chaotic. There’s a million storylines, and not every one pans out. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s an all time cult classic, but not everyone loves it! In my book, it’s hands down the best intro to Gregg Araki, even if The Doom Generation is a little bit more polished or if Splendor is sweeter. Nowhere kicks ass.

One of my clients met James Duval once while they were wearing a shirt that loudly proclaimed I (HEART) THE FEMALE ORGASM. James stopped them to say he dug the shirt, and laughed when they gave him a gushing compliment for the film Nowhere in return.

“Nobody likes Nowhere!”

James Duval, ladies and gentlethems! Gregg Araki’s main squeeze, the line that connects the dots between all three of the films in the Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy: Totally Fucked Up (1994), The Doom Generation (1995), and Nowhere (1997).

BEAUTIFUL visuals. POWERFUL storytelling. Like a choose-your-own-adventure novel brought to life in the armpit of Los Angeles. A love letter to queerdom and the last of your teenage years.

GREGG HELP ME.