Nowhere Inn Review: Meta-doc Goes Nowhere

Nowhere Inn is a meta-doc that tackles fame, authenticity, and the identity crises that happen in between. But while the movie has its moments, it’s too hip for its own good.

St. Vincent hires close friend Carrie Brownstein to make a documentary about her music. When Brownstein discovers that the Bowie-esque shapeshifter St. Vincent on stage is nothing like the average Annie Clark off stage, she attempts to make things interesting for behind-the-scenes footage.

Brownstein got her wish, but only for St. Vincent’s persona to seep into Annie Clark in bizarre ways. The mockumentary alternates between cringe-style humor and psychedelic reveries.

In one scene, Brownstein suggests Clark party with the crew because filming her while playing scrabble is boring. Later on, after a trippy moment in front of the mirror, Clark goads Brownstein to film her and girlfriend Dakota Johnson having sex.

Nowhere Inn has cleverly staged sequences – St. Vincent’s fame as an indie darling is lost to most people and Annie Clark’s private low-key life is “impenetrable” to her fans. Can the artist co-exist with her alter-ego or maybe the alter-ego isn’t the alter-ego at all?

Unfortunately, when St. Vincent takes control, is the moment where Nowhere Inn goes nowhere as it fails to provide meaningful answers to its own questions. The film tries to be a mockumentary, an avant-garde absurdist, and a surreal horror flick, but none of it comes together in a compelling way.   

Fans of Brownstein and St. Vincent will still find a funny collaboration between two indie artists. The rest of the audience may not be as enthralled.