ESSENTIAL CINEMA: WHAT ABOUT ME (1993) by Rachel Amodeo

Synopsis:
WHAT ABOUT ME portrays the gradual deterioration of Lisa Napolitano (Rachel Amodeo) a young woman forced to exist on the streets, intermingling with the outcasts of society. Along the way she encounters a shell-shocked Vietnam veteran, Nick(Richard Edson), a nihilistic East Villiager, Tom (Nick Zedd); and a sympathetic good Samaritan, Paul (Richard Hell).

WHAT ABOUT ME was filmed in B/W on location in Tompkins square park and the Lower East Side. Gregory Corso, Judy Carne, Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, and Dee Dee Ramone appear in addition to the homeless residents of the partk. The soundtrack includes music by Johnny Thunders.

Review:
Not only boasting a dream cast from the 70s NY Punk scene, but they're good in it! Somehow I managed to bump into this film while cruising Amazon a few weeks ago when I was trying to track down a 1st edition of Warhols 'I, a Man' and the picture and cast listing where of interest to me. It was around 8 bucks new and I figured that I should buy it(since its unrentable anywhere) rather than just spend the 8 bucks on a vodka tonic just to piss it out at the end of the night.

All the elements where there; the grittyness of the lower east side, soundtrack by J. Thunders, a cast comprised of the luminaries of the 70s punk scene, and shot in B/W on actual film! This was a very low budget 16mm film that was heavy on interesting characters and light on 'Hollywood Formula'. The lack of budget only adds to the authenticism and credibility of the story, since you kinda realize that the cast aren't really acting too far off from their real characters and personalities. Incredible soundtrack, and kept my attention for the whole 85 minutes. Honestly, I wasn't expecting alot other than gratuitous nihilistic visuals, but the incredible cast made this film a classic for me. I put it on my shelf in my permanenet collection sandwiched in between my VHS copy of 'Reform School Girls' and Bunuels 'Los Olvidados'.

Highlights: Jerry Nolan does a cameo as a crack smokin' scenester, and Nick Zedd is hilarious. His raw natural dialogue and presence lends a genuine quality to this picture. If you're remotely into no budget/underground/raw cinema this is definitely a must see.
"****" four stars. Out of four.