(Harmony Korine, 1997, USA, 89 minutes)

Scoring 38% on the Tomatometer and a disastrous 19 on Metacritic (“overwhelming dislike”), Harmony Korine’s directorial debut Gummo is a bad taste epic from distributor New Line (soon to finance and release the Lord of the Rings trilogy), cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier (who the same year lensed Good Will Hunting), and co-starring Chloë Sevigny, who would within a couple of years garner an Oscar nomination. Korine, having come to fame for penning Larry Clark’s Kids a few years prior and only 24 at the time of Gummo’s release, sets his film in Xenia, Ohio, in the aftermath of a tornado. His characters are all disaffected, yes, kids, doing terrible things to relieve their boredom. Those who hail from small towns will relate. Cat lovers should approach with extreme caution.

Chosen by Pete Timmermann, Director of the Webster Film Series, as part of the “Critics Are Stupid” series. Be sure to listen to the podcast episode wherein it is discussed, expected to drop on February 13.

Co-presented with The Take-Up.