Life is not easy for an angst-ridden bi-curious teenager and his fellow high school students in this uncanny early career film from 'Mysterious Skin' director Gregg Araki. The film opens with a striking scene in which the teen pleasures himself in the shower while conflicting thoughts of beautiful women and a boy who he fancies flicker on screen, signifying from early on his sexual confusion. 'Nowhere' is not, however, just a tale of a young man realising his latent homosexuality. Rather, it is about how he perceives his whole universe collapsing as a result of this realisation. As the film progresses, increasingly weird things start happening. There are UFO sightings, encounters with alien beings and one character gets abducted... but does this really happen or is the apocalypse merely in his mind? While often baffling, the sci-fi angle provides an unexpected edge, and frustrating as the weirdness may well be, there is never a boring with the idea of aliens just around the corner. What the film does not do so well is juggle all of its many subplots. James Duval is engaging as the protagonist, but no other character is fleshed out in much depth, and only one subplot (a date rape victim coming to worship a televangelist) really stands out. The film is riveting though whenever Duval is on screen. He brings a simultaneous confidence and vulnerability to his character, acting all cool but deeply worried just beneath. What exactly the aliens are meant to signify is anybody's guess, but this is a film that does not need to be understood in its entirety for its central human story to resonate.

Like an ancient poem the ideas, meaning and even aspects of the plot are left up to interpretation. This is a movie for anyone who has ever been so bored with his or current situation that he or she can just lay back and dream up a world of love, death,sex, drugs and aliens abductions and the end of the all life as we know it. Each character is kind one sided as we see the world through the eyes of Dark, the aptly named lead; these are not representations of all teens but only the annoying stereotypes as they relate to Dark's life. so taking all that in to account this is a great movie to share with friends (and confuse the heck out of them) or to watch when you're feeling a little bored yourself. With sets painted wild colors and out of place visuals it's clear that for Dark-life is but a dream.

Dark (James Duval) and his friends live in an LA with drugs, sex, suicide, murder and such running wild. Dark just wants to find somebody to love and who loves him back--male or female. Oh yeah--there are aliens wandering around too (!!!???) Other than that there's no real plot--just a bunch of teens on drugs and their various adventures. Full of hilarious one liners or lines that make you just howl with laughter. Incredible set design, lighting and directing (check out the wallpapers on various characters' bedrooms). Duval is excellent (and has plenty of casual nude scenes).

Always interesting and very well-acted by a VERY interesting cast. Not as good as "Living End" or "Totally F**ked Up" but well worth seeing. The sequence that ends the film is a laugh riot--unfortunately it's not supposed to be.

SPOILERS IN NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!

One guy is telling another in bed that he loves him and just got back from being kidnapped by aliens (no kidding!) Then he came out with "All I thought as I was being put into the space pod, is how much I loved you". I saw it in a theatre and the audience started giggling--me too (for the record, I'm gay). It just was SO stupid...the acting is very good but the lines are horrible. Then he transforms into a giant bug and says "I'm out o' here" and leaves. By the time that came on, me (and the rest of the audience) were in hysterics. What the hell was Araki trying to do with that?

So, a very interesting good film until that really stupid ending. Also it has Ryan Philippee in an early role.