Smithereens (film)
| Smithereens | |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Susan Seidelman |
| Produced by |
Joanne Gross Susan Seidelman |
| Written by |
Peter Askin Ron Nyswaner Susan Seidelman |
| Starring | Susan Berman |
| Cinematography | Chirine El Khadem |
| Edited by | Susan Seidelman |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Smithereens is a 1982 film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Susan Berman, Brad Rinn, and punk rock icon Richard Hell. The film follows a narcissistic young woman from New Jersey who comes to New York City to join the punk subculture, only to find that it's gravitated towards Los Angeles; in order to pay her way across country, she engages in a number of parasitic relationships, shifting her allegiances to new "friends" in an ongoing effort to ultimately endear herself to someone who will finance her desired lifestyle.
Smithereens marked the debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) and features a score by The Feelies. It was the first American independent film invited to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. Smithereens is a precursor to Seidelman's next film Desperately Seeking Susan and both films share similar themes of female identity and self-reinvention.
Wren (Susan Berman) is a runaway from New Jersey who has come to New York City in the hopes of becoming a figure in the punk rock scene, only to find that the movement is now centered in Los Angeles. Wren finds herself relegated to sneaking into the city's remaining punk hot spot, the Peppermint Lounge, to try to ingratiate herself with the bands that play there, in the hopes that one of them will take her on as a groupie. She also engages in a campaign to litter the city with photocopied pictures of herself bearing the legend "WHO IS THIS?" in an attempt to generate mystique. Though she works part-time at a xerox shop by day, Wren nominally uses her position there to surreptitiously print out her fliers, and supplements her lifestyle by mugging women in the subway.
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