| Video Review Archive 26.01.03 #67 |
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by High Plains Films
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This is Nowhere, a new documentary feature from High Plains Films,
which will screen next month at the San Francisco Independent Film
Festival and other venues, is now available on VHS and DVD. The DVD
also includes a one-hour "broadcast version" of the documentary, plus
the film's theatrical trailer. Copies can be obtained on the High
Plains Films website. For a limited time, DVD orders will also
receive a free CD soundtrack.
Nearly three million Americans live full-time in motor homes, campers
and trailers. Millions more spend significant portions of each year
wandering America in their homes on wheels. Taking advantage of the
modern American landscape, tens of thousands of vacation and
full-time travelers steer their Recreational Vehicles (RVs) into
Wal-Mart parking lots each year to "camp" for a night or two.
2001 Montana Individual Artist Fellowship winner, Doug Hawes-Davis,
and co-director John Lilburn set out to document this emerging social
phenomenon with the idea that this story was bigger than a few
wayward tourists with curious tastes in camping spots. The result is
a new documentary feature, This is Nowhere.
Producer Hawes-Davis explains.
"The inherent contradiction of 'camping' in a box-store
parking lot seemed like the perfect starting place for exploring
cultural attitudes towards nature, community, and sense of place. We
were surprised, however, by how eager our interview subjects were to
discuss these same themes. After the very first night of interviews
we realized that we could tie together many related issues in the
same film. Themes of urban sprawl, tourism, and consumerism are
accessed by examining RV camping in Wal-Mart parking lots".
Lilburn adds,
"What we found so compelling is that Wal-Marts are
becoming important and valuable travel destinations, just as National
Parks, museums and historic sites are important travel destinations.
It's clear the phenomenon is a reflection of ongoing changes in
American culture".
The travelers' rationale for seeking out Wal-Marts as travel
destinations provides a fascinating portrait of American culture at
the dawn of the 21st century.
"The travelers we interviewed are not
out of the ordinary," says filmmaker Hawes-Davis.
"They are
representative Americans who share a common bond of loving to travel
in RVs, and loving Wal-Mart. Most of them are interested in nature,
meeting new people, learning about our nation's history, or just
plain new experiences, but they are also interested in the
predictability, homogeneity, and sameness that Wal-Mart provides for
travel and shopping".
The film features an original soundtrack primarily from Birmingham,
Alabama musician Ned Mudd, but also includes tracks from Missouri
alt-country rockers, The Incontinentals and others. Montana musician,
Aaron Parrett, also recorded music for the film. One music reviewer
described Mudd's work this way,
"Mudd's music defies nailing down, as
does the artist. If forced to play one style of music for more than a
few days, he'd give it all up and do something meaningful. It's about
soul, not style. His music is as much picture as sound". A CD
soundtrack including music from the original score, outtakes and
complete tracks will be available soon.
This is Nowhere is the third feature documentary from High Plains
Films, the Montana-based non-profit production company which has
released fifteen films that document
"the relationship between nature
and society". Two earlier feature documentaries, Varmints (1998)
which has been called
"the Schindler's List of wildlife
documentaries," and Killing Coyote (2000), winner of the John
Michaels Award at the 23rd Big Muddy Film Festival, have received
wide acclaim. Full of irony, This is Nowhere humorously captures the
essence of American attitudes toward nature, equality, liberty and
civic values.
What reviewers are saying about THIS IS NOWHERE:
"Sort of a cross between Lost in America and Mall Rats, with a little
Roger & Me thrown in for good measure, This is Nowhere profiles a
handful of travelers, mostly seniors, who have found community,
wide-open space and extremely convenient shopping - all in one
place." - Enough!
"It's a hoot!" - RV Lifestyle
"It seems as if there is no end to subcultures that exist in the
United States. Sometimes, I am flabbergasted by the nature of some of
these groups, and This Is Nowhere presents yet another bizarre
subculture that left me with my jaw hanging." - Grand Rapids Press
"Witty, profound and inventive, this is documentary filmmaking at its
best." - Missoula Independent
"Utterly fascinating." - Boise Weekly
"A quirky film that provides a view into a small segment of society
that makes the RV their primary residence. There are roughly 3
million people who have chosen this as their lifestyle that the
census used to refer to as the 'affluent homeless.' I was drawn to
their unique way of life and the sense of contentment many of the
couples exuded from the freedom of mobility." - The Californian
"In an age of market globalization and shifting individual
identities, it's important that we look around us at the focal points
of people's habits and passions. This is Nowhere does just that with
a curious segment of U.S. society - well-off retirees who tour the
country in RVs and camp out in Wal-Mart parking lots. With this
focus, the people at High Plains Films are able to probe issues of
urban sprawl, marketization, and cultural homogenization. At the same
time, the film reveals several contradictions experienced by this
group of people (and many of us): for example, expressing our freedom
yet choosing sameness, simplifying life but trying to 'have it all,'
valuing community yet spending time in ways that make community
increasingly out of reach, and 'rediscovering' nature from the
perspective of pavement." - George Cheney, Director of Graduate
Studies, Dept of Communication, University of Montana
"Covering the ghastly spectacle of contemporary US life is a nasty
job, but somebody's got to do it, and High Plains Films has done it
very well." - James Howard Kunstler, Author, The Geography of Nowhere
"Powerful... The film paints a disturbing, almost tragic, portrait of
people looking for something different, yet wanting everything to be
the same... People yearning for simplicity and adventure, without
wanting to give up comfort and convenience... People trying to get
back in touch with nature, while driving around monster vehicles that
get seven-and-a-half miles to the gallon. And while it's easy to
laugh at the inconsistencies and near hypocrisy found in the
lifestyle choices of people introduced in this documentary, it's
unfortunately just as easy to identify with their motivations... Thus
it's upsettingly obvious that their lives, and the entire film,
provide a metaphor that can be extended to American culture and
American aspirations at large." - |
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