Smithereens

Broke, punk, and ambitious! The low-budget breakout film by Susan Seidelman, Smithereens is a snapshot of the dying East Village NYC punk scene in 1982 that takes you along like a down-and-out Nights of Cabiria.

Join New Jersey native Wren on her ham-fisted quest to become cool and influence people without actually trying. Shot (without permits) on the gorgeously dilapidated streets of early 80’s New York, a time when being semi-washed up looked incredibly cool and broke artists (and poseurs) could live easy-sleazy in cheap flop apartments and still have cigarette money.

Richard Hell plays Eric, the one-hit-wonder punk dream boy that empirically sucks but is also irresistible for our young up-and-comer in comparison to recent city transplant and cornfed Midwest Paul.  

Susan Berman gives an effectively endearing AND annoying performance; you still root for her success even though she’s deeply narcissistic, a bit of a dummy, and overall kind of a dick.

Smithereens is an incredible example of guerilla filmmaking, and one of the rare occasions in this decade where you get to see a story unfold through a hungry female lens.

One of the first American independent films to be selected to show in the main competition at Cannes.