Smiley Face

Colour, 35 mm
USA, 2006, 88 min
Section: Forum of Independents

Synopsis

Jane F, an unsuccessful slacker actress, is having a bad day. And it’s getting more outrageous and comically surreal by the minute. Jane’s misadventures begin when she treats herself to a batch of cupcakes left unattended by her psycho roommate that prove not as innocent as they appear. Soon she is trying to cross town so she can repay an unforgiving drug dealer, attend an audition, and somehow replace the precious cupcakes. Bumming a ride from her roommate’s friend – who is totally infatuated with her – she sets out on a long, weird trip.

About the director

Gregg Araki (b. 1959, Los Angeles), one of the founders of New Queer Cinema, got his MFA in film production in 1982 from the University of Southern California’s Film School. He worked first as a film critic for LA Weekely before establishing his own production company Desperatre Pictures. He has directed nine feature films which have been screened at the world’s most prestigious film festivals. He also directed the music videos The Jag for The Micronauts and Trash for The London Suede, as well as This Is How the World Ends, a pilot for MTV. Films: Three Bewildered People in the Night (1987), The Long Weekend (1989), The Living End (1992), Totally F***ed Up (1993), The Doom Generation (1995), Nowhere (1997), Splendor (1999), Mysterious Skin (2004), Smiley Face (2006).