Tarnation
2003 · 91 min · Director: Jonathan Caouette
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Part documentary, part narrative fiction, part home movie, and part acid trip. A psychedelic whirlwind of snapshots, Super-8 home movies, old answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, snippets of '80s pop culture, and dramatic reenactments to create an epic portrait of an American family travesty. The story begins in 2003 when Jonathan learns that his schizophrenic mother, Renee, has overdosed on her lithium medication. He is catapulted back into his real and horrifying family legacy of rape, abandonment, promiscuity, drug addiction, child abuse, and psychosis. As he grows up on camera, he finds the escapist balm of musical theater and B horror flicks and reconnects to life through a queer chosen family. Then a look into the future shows Jonathan as he confronts the symbiotic and almost unbearable love he shares with his beautiful and tragically damaged mother.
Emotional fingerprint
Tarnation (2003) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 35%, Empathy 25%, Anxiety 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Sadness35%
- Empathy25%
- Anxiety15%
- Melancholy15%
- Inspiration10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Anxiety. Genres: Documentary, Biography. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Anxiety. Its IMDb rating of 7.1/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Disturbing
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Disturbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Tension | 45 % | 40 % | 25 % | 13 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 11′ | Empathy | 42 % | 38 % | 21 % | 10 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Empathy | 54 % | 48 % | 35 % | 30 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 20′ | Disturbing | 76 % | 65 % | 57 % | 66 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 25′ | Disturbing | 77 % | 63 % | 56 % | 72 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 30′ | Disturbing | 60 % | 41 % | 35 % | 55 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 34′ | Disturbing | 49 % | 27 % | 22 % | 43 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 39′ | Humor | 49 % | 23 % | 15 % | 32 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 43′ | Humor | 55 % | 31 % | 21 % | 21 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 48′ | Sadness | 59 % | 49 % | 38 % | 19 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 52′ | Empathy | 52 % | 51 % | 33 % | 13 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Empathy | 48 % | 44 % | 23 % | 16 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Empathy | 60 % | 54 % | 40 % | 40 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 66′ | Sadness | 74 % | 68 % | 60 % | 58 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Tension | 74 % | 65 % | 52 % | 53 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 75′ | Humor | 71 % | 57 % | 43 % | 51 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 80′ | Disturbing | 79 % | 67 % | 56 % | 58 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Empathy | 85 % | 79 % | 70 % | 51 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 89′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Oedipus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Tarnation. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Herself
Himself
Details
- Directed by
- Jonathan Caouette
- Written by
- Jonathan Caouette
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2003
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Country
- United States
- Genres
- Documentary, Biography
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Feels similar
More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.
