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"This is Nowhere"
Video Librarian, August 2003
by M. Tribby
***1/2 - Producer-director Doug
Hawes-Davis and director John Lilburn explore the intersection of two
familiar entities in the American cultural landscape--recreational vehicle
camping and Wal-Mart--in This Is Nowhere, a marvelous look at nomadic
RV-driving retirees and vacationers who crisscross the country camping in
Wal-Mart parking lots. Apparently, the homogeneity of the Wal-Marts lends a
continuity to their travels that the RV crowd finds comforting, and indeed
that's just one of the interesting ironies the filmmakers uncover here: the
desire to explore the country while remaining in familiar surroundings. Many
of the folks interviewed express an interest in seeing nature up close and
personal, but they do it from the vantage point of paved roads and parking
lots; they crave adventure, but they enjoy the security of the well-lit
Wal-Mart parking lots (one man, traveling alone save for his cat, mentions
that his previous tabby is buried in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Mexico).
Like many people free to pursue their own happiness, the RV denizens are
monumentally unconcerned with the contradictions of their lifestyle, but
the accumulation of their personal stories offers viewers an entertaining
and informative look at this little known subculture, a sort of suburbia on
wheels. Would Jack Kerouac have ended up like this had he lived into his
golden years and remained on the road? Probably not, but for many the road
and Sam Walton's shopper's warehouse beckon. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P.
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