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Jonathan Caouette has had an unnecessarily complex life. His mother, when she was a child, fell off the roof and became temporarily paralyzed. Her parents felt it was psychosomatic and sent her to an institution to receive shock treatments for years on end. Later it was found that she had no mental instability before the treatments, however now she does. That’s just scratching the surface of it all. As a result, Jonathan has a lot of issues to deal with and no good way to do so. He ends up institutionalized as well. He tries to find escape wherever he can, usually through disturbing acting or artistic performance pieces.

This documentary is told chronologically through pre-existing photos and home movies as well as brand new footage created specifically to finish the project. There’s a definitive progression from still photographs to Super-8 to low quality video to higher quality video. The progression in technology mirrors the progression of instability in his mother’s condition and also his progression in dealing with the life he was handed.

This movie revels in its usage of video. He uses plenty of video effects to manipulate and multiply the images on the screen. Normally this technique would seem very amateurish and clichéd. However, even though this is Jonathan’s first feature, the effects actually represent something. The psychedelic, mashing and expanding of the images effectively symbolize the past and present mental states. Caouette shoots a lot of material. He keeps the camera running for many things that seem inappropriate or pointless. It’s precisely these moments that turn out to be the most fascinating. He’s trying to capture his entire life. Of course, he can’t accomplish this feat and several points that are deemed less important are glanced over quickly.

Despite this, the story is effectively told through text. What makes this unusual is that he could have easily recorded it himself, since it is his life. What the text accomplishes is a way to separate the filmmaker from the film. It’s no longer a first person tale, but rather a third person account of this messed up family. He turns himself into a character in a show. Once again, it works. Jonathan is a character and always has been. When you look at the young childhood footage of him acting in a dark room alone in front of the camera, it’s very telling. This kid is very intelligent, a good actor, but he knows a level of darkness that he shouldn’t. In fact, he’s such a good actor, that it’s too tough at times to tell if and when he is. The camera is always on, he knows when it’s on and he faces it most of the time. That has to affect your responses and reactions to what’s going on around you. He is a character and doesn’t hide it.

This is what makes “Tarnation” so incredibly fascinating. It’s a train wreck. It’s a car crash. It could be one of many, many families across the country. It’s so incredibly personal and heartbreaking that it’s tough to watch, but even tougher to stop. It makes you question whether or not it should have an audience or if it should just be played in Caouette’s VCR at home to continue the healing process. You haven’t seen another documentary quite like this and you may not again for a long time.

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