Tarnation Certificate: 
- Duration:
- 88 mins
- Year produced:
- 2004
- Director:
- Jonathan Caouette
- Cast:
- Jonathan Caouette
- Renee LeBlanc
- Adolph Davis
The huge leaps forward in computer technology in recent years have meant that film-makers can create their movies for next to no money – and this amazing 2003 documentary was a prime example, its first “rough cut” version being made with the free software on an Apple computer. It’s the autobiographical story of director Jonathan Caouette, who deals with his troubled childhood and early life with his mother Renee, a woman whose life has been coloured by mental illness and her own harsh upbringing, but with who Jonathan finally manages to forge a relationship. Using everything from home movie footage to old answering machine messages, the result is a tough and disturbing documentary, but also one that’s highly original and often very moving.
- Average rating:
- This film has not been rated yet
Fascinating facts
Made for $218 on an Apple iMac, the budget rose to $400,000 once music and video clip royalties were included.
Tarnation’s director Jonathan Caouette has estimated that the first rough cut of the film he assembled on his computer at home cost the princely sum of $231 (about £115).