Tarnation

Tarnation is a remarkable personal documentary by Jonathan Caouette that tells the story of his life and his family in an incredibly compelling way. Caouette had been recording parts of his life for 20 years and when he auditioned for a part in the short film Shortbus by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig & the Angry Inch) he used some of his person footage in his audition tape. John Cameron Mitchell was impressed with what he saw and then encouraged Caouette to finish his film. He took 160 hours of recorded materials over 20 years and assembled it all with iMovie and a 2 1/2 hour rough cut was prepared for MIX Festival in New York in November of 2003. Caouette spent $218.32 on a recreation of a high-school play that he directed and a pair of angel wings. Then Mitchell became an executive producer and sent a tape to Gus Van Sant, who also signed on. The film was selected for the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and co-editor Brian A. Kates was brought on for a 3 week editing session that resulted in the 88 minute version that screened at Sundance. The film is an amazing achievement that is unforgettable.