Tarnation

2003
Unrated
1h 28m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

6.8K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:22

1 Video

4 Photos

Biography Documentary

Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8 film, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, a... Read allFilmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8 film, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more - culled from nineteen years of his life.Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8 film, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more - culled from nineteen years of his life.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

6.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 9 wins & 12 nominations

Videos1

Trailer 2:22

Watch Tarnation

Photos

Top cast24

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Jonathan Caouette

Self

Renee Leblanc

Self

Adolph Davis

Self

Rosemary Davis

Self

David Sanin Paz

Self

Joshua Williams

Self

Michael Cox

Guy cussing in short film

David Leblanc

Self

Stacey Mowery

Self

Michael Mouton

Self

Greg Ayres

Self
(as Bam-Bam)

Vanda Stovall

Self

Dagon James

Self

Vivian Kalinov

Self
(as Girl in Student Film)

Steve Caouette

Self

Lisa Berri

Blue Velvet cast

Kelli Brisbane

Blue Velvet cast
(as Kellie Brisbane)

Mike Smith Rivera

Blue Velvet cast
(as Apocalypse Clown)

Director
- Jonathan Caouette
Writer
- Jonathan Caouette
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
It cost $218 to make but the budget rose to $400,000, once music and video clip royalties were included.

Quotes
Jonathan Caouette: Am I on? My name is Hilary Chapman Lauralou Gorea. This is like a testimony isn't it?

Connections
Edited from Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Soundtracks
Ice-Pulse
Written and performed by The Cocteau Twins

User reviews115

Review

Featured review

One of the best 5 if not THE best film of the year

Tarnation NR(language, disturbing violent and sexual images) ****/out of 4

Tarnation could possibly be the best film of the year. It is unique, original, disturbing, one of a kind, sad, heartbreaking, powerful, inspiring, and completely mesmerizing.

The film is not for the squeamish because of intense the subject matter, as well as the bizarre images. It is truly remarkable that Jonathan Caouette took his whole life in home video format and narrowed it down to 90 minutes. The editing techniques force the viewer to get sucked into the mind and life of a schizophrenic person.

Being taken through the early days of Caouette is very hard to watch. With a mentally ill mother going through shock treatments, he went from many foster homes to living with his grandparents(mentally ill grandma). Caouette became involved with drugs, cross-dressing, homosexuality, suicide, and film-making...and all this time he had a video camera by his side.

For its $218 budget, its editing being done on iMovie, and its tragic humane story, it's truly a shame that "Tarnation" is another indie film that is really destined to be remember forever and ever.