Nowhere

1997 | Gregg Araki | James Duval | Scott Caan | Mena Suvari | Rose McGowan | Denise Richards | dark teen films | best soundtracks | aliens visiting earth “LA is like… nowhere. Everybody who lives here is lost.” Gregg Araki makes films like no one else. There are many similar films from the 90s independent, underground and DIY scenes and from the new queer cinema with similar vibes, themes, characters, dialogues and art designs. Films like “Love and Human Remains” or “Mod Fuck Explosion”, to name only two. But no film or filmmaker does it as good as Araki does. Araki is one of my favorite filmmakers. And “Nowhere” is his masterpiece. The set-design in this is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Same goes for costumes and hairstyles. The whole aesthetic and style of Araki peaked here. Production and art-design are absolutely phenomenal and every location is so fucking amazing. The dialogues and the heightened-reality feeling of everything in this are fucking amazing. And despite everything being so over-the-top, outlandish or literally alien, there is so much authenticity and relatability in here. And the film is thematically rich too. Love, sex, being queer, feeling lost, abuse, addiction, religion, violence, human connection. Another thing Araki does like no one else is naming his characters. Dark, Lucifer, Bart, Handjob, Cowboy, Dingbat, Egg, Shad, Ducky, Elvis, Zero, Jujyfruit. I love his way of naming characters. Oh, and the soundtrack is one of the best of all time too. Lush, Suede, Hole, 311, Radiohead, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Sonic Youth, Blur, Nine Inch Nails, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Portishead….. I could keep going on forever. “Nowhere” is one of the best pieces of art ever created. I want my life to be directed by Gregg Araki. I honestly admire his way of directing, his style and his distinct voice as a filmmaker.