Born John Whitney Stillman in 1952 to a former debutante mother and D.C. politician father, not only did he direct his three films, but he also wrote the screenplays as well. Stillman did not attend film school, in fact, he graduated from Harvard in 1973 with a degree in American history, but we know that a filmmaker is not always made by a traditional education. Just look at Jonathan Caouette and his powerful documentary, Tarnation, made purely out of need for an outlet for his own personal story. Similarly, Stillman lent a somewhat autobiographical current to his works. After graduation, he worked as a journalist in NYC and gained experiences from the nightclub scene. Then he took an opportunity to work as a sales agent for film producers in Madrid and Barcelona. While in Spain, he acted for some of the directors he worked with, including Fernando Trueba, and he also met his wife.

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I don’t want to write about this film. Take a so-called feel good movie and turn it upside down and you get Tarnation. I will relive this movie for the purposes of this review, but I won’t be watching it again.

First time filmmaker Jonathan Caouette’s personal life story is pure hell. While watching a surprisingly well-edited montage of home movies, answering machine recordings, photographs, and video diaries, his life unfolds as a series of ongoing tragedies.

Jon and his mother Renee

No father around, a schizophrenic mother, abuse while in foster care, hospitalization from taking tainted drugs, self-mutilation… and that’s just up to his teenage years. He started filming himself at the age of 11 and from there he began recording candid moments and the environment of his childhood and beyond. As he grew up, he found some comfort in underground films that mirrored his feelings and a new acceptance while hanging out at a gay night club.

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