There’s no easy way to describe TerminalUSA. Sure, it fits the “punk rock, soap opera comedy” that it’s oftencredited as, but it’s really much, much more than that. It’s a masterpiece, atrain wreck, a delight and a nightmare all in one.
Following the misdeeds of one seriously messed-up Japanese-Americanfamily, director Jon Moritsugu (Mod FuckExplosion) expertly flips the image of the model-minority on its head:Drug-abusing, promiscuous and violent, this family bears no resemblance to the“typical” Asian American family white America has come to expect. Even Marvin,the studious protractor-wielding prodigy of the family (an obvious symbol forthe Asian American stereotype) has a dirty secret he’s keeping. Moritsuguexplores the family’s vices through separate but overlapping storylines beforethe film finally builds to a feverish climax.
Aside from exploring issues like discrimination and drug abuse, Terminal USA is magnificently strange incontent and in presentation. For starters, the script, joyfully blunt andoccasionally downright filthy, has some tremendousone-liners. Normally I would put one here, but there are simply too many gemsto choose from to pick just one.You’ll just have to see it for yourself.
I’m not going to lie, though—this film isn’t for everyone. Among cinephiles,its ranking seems tied between “work of genius” and “piece of crap.” Terminal USA unquestionably flies in theface of mainstream cinema, but it does so with inexhaustible energy and uniquecharm. But it’s this raw approach to storytelling that makes Terminal USA so strangelyaddictive. There’s a reason it’s a cult classic.
Originally released in 1993, TerminalUSA screens at the Jean Cocteau Cinema as a part of a fundraiser forMoritsugu’s upcoming film, NumbskullRevolution, which shoots in Santa Fe and Marfa, Texas, this summer. Comeout and support New Mexico film and Moritsugu, “The King of Cult Cinema.” Youwon’t want to miss it.
7
+Plentyof WTF, laugh-out-loud moments to keep you smiling
-Everythingabout Tom Sawyer the Lawyer. *Shudder*
Terminal USA Screening
8:30 pm Tuesday June 27
$15-$50
Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma St., 466-5528
