The movie

Gummo
Because Cinecitta also wants to introduce you to the strange, controversial, bizarre, and unpredictable world of cult films, cult films will be screened in 2025. We kick off this Cinecitta Cult Classic series with the weird film Gummo.
Description
They were reviled, laughed at, dismissed, thrown onto the scrap heap by distributors, and ignored by mainstream audiences—only to later be embraced through alternative circuits. Of course, we’re talking about cult films.
Because Cinecitta—besides our monthly classics—also wants to introduce you to the strange, controversial, bizarre, and unpredictable world of cult films, four cult films will be screened in 2025. We kick off on Thursday, February 27, with the weird film Gummo.
Gummo
Released in 1997 and directed by Harmony Korine, Gummo is a raw and surreal film set in a decayed Ohio town after a tornado. Rather than following a traditional plot, the film presents a series of eccentric and often shocking characters navigating their daily lives in a world that seems both chaotic and bizarre, often with an almost documentary-like approach to everyday absurdity.
The film explores themes of poverty, abuse, and moral ambiguity without offering judgment or easy answers. It provides no reconciliation or hope for its characters. Instead, it highlights the banality and strangeness of their existence. Gummo is not easy to understand or explain, but it is precisely this elusive quality that makes it one of the most intriguing and sought-after cult films of its time.
Upon its initial release, Gummo received highly polarized reactions. Some hailed it as a masterpiece of abstract cinema, while others dismissed it as mere shock value. Over the years, however, Gummo has grown into a cult classic, beloved by cinephiles and artists who appreciate its radical storytelling approach and its unfiltered exploration of the darker, unpolished sides of human experience.
Director Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary cinema. His films often feel chaotic, raw, and surreal—blurring the lines between art and narrative in a way that is both disorienting and captivating. Whether it’s the youthful energy of Kids (which he wrote) or the hypnotic, almost dreamlike quality of Gummo and Spring Breakers, Korine has a unique ability to capture the strange underbelly of culture.
Gummo will be screened with English subtitles.