You are here:

The Nobodies

Name: The Nobodies
Director: Jay Burleson
Released: 2018
Duration: 86 min

Representation Score

4.7/10

Fair

2018

Director

Jay Burleson

Runtime

86 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Nobodies functions as a meta-textual study of social ostracization and the corrosive nature of communal judgment. By blending amateur footage with documentary elements, it examines how moral panics can destroy individual lives. The film's strength lies in its thematic exploration of social conformity and the 'outsider' identity. It effectively deconstructs social conformity and critiques traditionalist communities' systemic policing of 'outsiders'. However, the work lacks overt demographic diversity. The focus on a localized, homogeneous setting in Alabama limits the visible representation of diverse racial and ethnic identities.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Nobodies have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film touches on themes of non-conformity and social alienation. While specific identities aren't confirmed, the central couple's perceived deviance stands in for the exclusion of those outside straight-centered structures.

How does The Nobodies portray gender?

Fair

Samantha Dixon plays a significant role in the creative and tragic arc. The narrative highlights a female protagonist whose autonomy directly challenges patriarchal community standards.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Nobodies?

Limited

Set in 1993 Alabama, the film focuses on a localized, homogeneous social environment. There is no indication of a diverse or non-Anglo-Saxon majority cast within the narrative.

How does The Nobodies represent religion and culture?

Good

The film criticizes traditional Western institutions, depicting religious and civic bodies as persecutors. It challenges expectations of community morality by showing these structures as inherently hostile to outsiders.

Does The Nobodies include disability representation?

Minimal

The film addresses the tragic outcomes of social pressure and suicide. However, it is unclear if neurodivergence or specific disabilities are portrayed with ability to act or merely as plot devices.

Present on Screen

Thematic exploration of social conformity and the 'outsider' identity.
Strong critique of how religious and civic institutions can facilitate systemic oppression.
Significant role for the female protagonist within the tragic narrative arc.

Limited or Absent

Limited visible racial and ethnic diversity within the localized Alabama setting.
Does not explicitly confirm specific LGBTQ+ identities despite themes of non-conformity.
Insufficient evidence regarding the ability to act of characters with disabilities or neurodivergence.

Official Synopsis

In 1993, Alabama based amateur filmmaker Warren Werner shot his first feature film, Pumpkin, on VHS. With a budget of only $600, a cast of friends, family, and unknown talent, the movie premiered at the local civic center and generated an immediate backlash from the community. Rumors that Warren and his girlfriend Samantha Dixon engaged in Satanic rituals began to spread throughout town. In the months following the premiere, Warren and Samantha committed suicide. The following year, another group of filmmakers began shooting a documentary about the deaths of Warren and Samantha. The documentary project was never completed, and Pumpkin was never released. The Nobodies is Warren Werner's Pumpkin, in it's entirety, cut together with the remaining documentary footage of the director's life and death.

How are these scores produced? →