Tarnation (2004)
89%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: 9 wins & 12 nominations
Tarnation is a cinematic masterpiece that delves into the complexities of mental illness, family dynamics, and the power of art to heal. Jonathan Caouette’s raw and unflinching portrayal of his own traumatic experiences is both harrowing and captivating, leaving the viewer with a deep sense of empathy and understanding. The film’s innovative use of multimedia and personal archives creates a hauntingly beautiful collage of pain and beauty, while Caouette’s poetic narration adds a layer of depth and introspection. Tarnation is a must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of art and mental health, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Tarnation” is like a scrapbook of a family’s most traumatic moments, but with a twist of artistic flair. It’s a documentary that’s nearly impossible to watch, yet strangely captivating. You’ll feel like you’re peering into someone’s diary, but with a multimedia twist. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, from heartbreak to fascination, and everything in between. If you’re looking for a unique and emotionally touching indie film, “Tarnation” is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Black Mandala Onetti Brothers Productions, Rusty Robot
Distributor
Wellspring Media
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2004
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby SR
-
Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 27m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 19, 2003 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 17, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, mental illness, homosexuality, family history, home movies, answering machine messages, family snapshots, abuse, addiction, abandonment, personal, moving, Jonathan Caouette, directed by Jonathan Caouette, written by Jonathan Caouette, produced by Jonathan Caouette, reviewed by Nick Schager, reviewed by Tom Dawson, reviewed by Roger Moore, reviewed by Bill Muller, reviewed by Geoff Pevere, reviewed by Stephen Cole, reviewed by Sean Nelson, reviewed by Emanuel Levy, reviewed by Nick Rogers, reviewed by Jim Lane, reviewed by Robert Davis, reviewed by Enrique Buchichio, Wellspring Media, $592.0K, MPAA rating, English, 1h 27m, Neptune Frost, La Sierra, Manufactured Landscapes, Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy With Time, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Los Angeles Plays Itself
Worldwide gross: $638,521
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,007,258
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,598
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 109,843
US/Canada gross: $592,014
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $933,894
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,203
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,740
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $20,097
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,512
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $220
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $347
Production budget ranking: 2,160
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $187
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,006,724
ROI to date (est.): 188,549%
ROI ranking: 3
Director(s)
Jonathan Caouette
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
9 wins & 12 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (101) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (93) | Rotten (8)
A twisted pastiche of pain, suffering, and narcissistic indulgence.
May 4, 2005 | Rating: B+
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
There’s no doubting the deep love Caouette feels for his troubled mother, nor his achievement in forging such a rawly emotional film from his own traumatic experiences.
April 19, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Tom Dawson
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Nearly impossible to watch, thoroughly unpleasant yet strangely arresting.
April 15, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
A soul-baring scrapbook of a film, its audacity surpassed only by its tragedy.
March 24, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Although aggressively unconventional, it’s never pretentious.
January 21, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
An astonishing multimedia diary … all accompanied by a scrolled family history that is as harrowing to read as a ransom note.
January 21, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4
Stephen Cole
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Tarnation is one of the most powerfully emotional movies I’ve ever seen.
August 23, 2017
Sean Nelson
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
An original, personal, emotionally touching documentary, which represents a new type of indie, based on innovating filmmaking.
May 14, 2011 | Rating: B+
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
As performance art born of personal pain, “Tarnation” stares teary-eyed into how genetics, culture, environment and susceptibility conspire to trigger mental illness – a documentary more to be experienced than simply viewed.
October 21, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Jonathan had plenty to be woeful about, but the movie is best when it slips quietly into the pockets between his family’s dramatic episodes.
June 2, 2008
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine
Como toda confesión, en la que alguien desnuda su intimidad sin pudor para quien quiera escuchar, Tarnation es capaz de generar desde la fascinación curiosa hasta la incomodidad y el rechazo.
November 13, 2006 | Rating: 3/5
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total…
Plot
Part documentary, part narrative fiction, part home movie, and part acid trip. A psychedelic whirlwind of snapshots, Super-8 home movies, old answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, snippets of ’80s pop culture, and dramatic reenactments to create an epic portrait of an American family travesty. The story begins in 2003 when Jonathan learns that his schizophrenic mother, Renee, has overdosed on her lithium medication. He is catapulted back into his real and horrifying family legacy of rape, abandonment, promiscuity, drug addiction, child abuse, and psychosis. As he grows up on camera, he finds the escapist balm of musical theater and B horror flicks and reconnects to life through a queer chosen family. Then a look into the future shows Jonathan as he confronts the symbiotic and almost unbearable love he shares with his beautiful and tragically damaged mother.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The critics consensus for Tarnation says that the filmmaker, Jonathan Caouette, has made a “very personal and moving film” using music and home video footage to great effect.
Jonathan-Caouette.jpg
