Jonathan Caouette

Texas native Jonathan Caouette first left his mark on the world of cinema as the director of the impressionistic documentary Tarnation -- a kaleidoscopic meditation on what it was like to be raised by a schizophrenic mother. Caouette was prompted to sort through old Super-8 home movies, photographs, audio recordings, and other various pop-culture snippets after his mother overdosed on lithium, and the resulting film was an absorbing, polarizing account of abuse, neglect, and mental illness. In addition to receiving nominations at the Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards, Caouette's maverick documentary also found him bestowed with an Emerging Documentary Filmmaker award by the International Documentary Association. While subsequent appearances in Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator John Cameron Mitchell's 2006 drama Shortbus and emerging producer/director Matthew Mishory's Portland may have given some the impression that Caouette had drifted away from documentary filmmaking, the announcement that the Tarnation director would once again be taking the helm -- this time for the music-themed documentary All Tomorrow's Parties -- found fans of his colorful nonfiction debut waiting with bated breath to see how he would approach his sophomore effort behind the camera.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide