[Rating: Minor Rock Fist Up]
In Theaters and On Demand now
I didn’t know much about St. Vincent before watching The Nowhere Inn, but as soon as the credits began to roll I got out my phone and got tickets to her next up-and-coming show. Succumbing to the allure of Annie Clark’s Modern Rockstar Persona St. Vincent, The Nowhere Inn becomes irresistibly engaging whenever Vincent appears as she challenges the authenticity of star identity and documentary filmmaking.
The Nowhere Inn is a complex web of reality and fiction as it presents itself as a behind-the-scenes narrative about the making of a rockumentary about an exaggerated stage personality.
With absurdity at the forefront, The Nowhere Inn never attempts to blur the line of fiction, yet Clark and Carrie Brownstein play upon their personal truths as the film’s writers and star as themselves. Brownstein plays herself as Clark’s close friend (which is true) and the director of the St. Vincent documentary (Bill Benz is The Nowhere Inn’s actual director).
The Nowhere Inn is rich with meta-madness and humor but struggles as a whole to become as interesting as its subjects. The film’s commentary on identity manipulation and the hidden secret that celebrities are just as boring as you and I gives audiences a lot to sink their teeth into. Once clinched down, drawn-out scenes and unrefined pacing can leave jaws aching. Ultimately it’s not a regrettable bite, but one should expect a tougher chew than one would have hoped.
Set during St. Vincent’s tour, The Nowhere Inn takes its fictional roots as a behind the scene look after Annie enlists in Carrie’s help to create a film about her music and the tour. After Carrie struggles to document exciting moments of Annie’s life that are more on the line of how a “normal person” would live, she employs her friend to showcase more that audiences want to see. Facing newly found self-doubts, Annie transforms into the St. Vincent persona off stage and snowballs into an eccentric character that gives “audiences what they want.” Filled with absurd humor and the occasional disturbing tone, The Nowhere Inn captures the bizarre world of stardom while challenging the expectations for all that comes with it.
Though Brownstein excels at being her hilarious and sincere self, Clark instantly steals the show as both Annie and St. Vincent. As Annie, she undramatically tears down the great walls of stardom as someone who just wants to relax and play her Nintendo switch after a long day of work. Highlighting an average lifestyle amid fame, we can easily connect with Annie and understand her vulnerability after her identity comes into question for not being more than who she is. As the comments from Carrie and others, slowly chip away at Annie’s sense of self, the build for her transformation is precise and rewarding. Once St. Vincent takes over as a musical Mr. Hyde, her pompous over-the-top behavior displays everything we love and loathe in celebrities. The comparison between the two is both entertaining and speaks greatly to the film’s themes of the troubles of an artificial lifestyle.
In all its strange glory, the abundance of oddity never takes away from the more sincere moments of the film. Absurd as it gets, Clark and Brownstein never shy away from telling the story they want to tell and their genuine friendship is the foundation for it. As the film presents excess personality and conflicts, the underlying authenticity of the woman’s friendship holds strong and provides the film with needed heart in contrast to the extremes. This makes it easy to buy into the spectacle, while still connecting with the characters and root for their greater goals. It is my hope that these two work together again, as their outlandish yet endearing chemistry can not be duplicated by anyone else.
Jonah Desneux is a recent graduate from the University of Missouri with a BA in Film Studies. It’s baffling that someone who just spent four years writing film paper after film paper would immediately want to write some more, but hey, he must love it! Along with writing about film Jonah enjoys writing and performing sketch comedy in Columbia and Kansas City.
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