Smithereens

Written, produced, directed, and edited by Susan Seidelman in true student film fashion, Smithereens is the story of Wren (Susan Berman), an independent spirit from New Jersey trying to self-promote herself into the New York punk scene. She meets Paul (Brad Rijn), who ran away from Montana and lives ...more

Susan Seidelman's independent debut Smithereens marks the filmmaker at her unconventional best. Like a crudely executed retelling of Truffaut's The 400 Blows, the story is a self-analyzing character study of Wren (Susan Berman), a struggling would-be star trying to make a name for herself in New York. With minimal skills and no support structure, Wren lives by her own witty, lighthearted efforts to validate her existence. She spouts off cynical lines that could be in any early-'80s dialogue, but ...more