Review of Tarnation (2003) by Trevor O — 13 Jul 2008

Jonathon Caouette has proved once and for all that home videos no longer have to be humiliating experiences dragged out for viewing at birthday parties or family reunions, but that with enough creativity and vision, one can shape such material into a work of art. Caoutte, who created the film on iMovie, has watched the mementos of his painful past transform into an underground hit.

What begins as a kind of intensely personal autobiography eventually morphs into the story of Caouette's mother- a striking beauty who endured over 200 electro-shock treatments after falling off a roof. The experience stips away his mother's identity and sets the whole family on a path of destruction, an experience we share as Caouette shares a sampling of the painfully raw and uncensored footage he has amassed over his lifetime.

It's not a perfect film- far from it. The opening is forced, the tone sometimes varies, and the message sometimes gets drowned out by the graphic images. But what makes this film so special is the fact that the personal has now blatantly become art in a way I haven't experienced before- an inspiring affirmation that everybody has a story to tell as long as they are willing to share it.