Nothing, the film
3-Line Synopsis
Nothing tells the story of a young woman named Jane. She has resigned herself to a life with a man that she doesn't love and a dead-end job as a maid in a small rundown motel. Her one form of escape is to try on the lives of the guests that are staying in the rooms she cleans.
As Jane reluctantly cleans while dabbling in her role playing game, she comes face to face with her own life, in a frightening and honest way.
Set in the heat-soaked town of Twentynine Palms, the desert landscape becomes a character, and the film rides the line between art and narrative.
Programming Descriptors
FORMS:Experimental, Narrative Fiction, Short
GENRES:Alternative, Drama, Avant-garde, Independent, Art
NICHES:Women
Medium Synopsis
Nothing tells the story of a young woman named Jane. She has resigned herself to a life with a man that she doesn't love and a dead-end job as a maid in a small rundown motel. Her one form of escape is to try on the lives of the guests that are staying in the rooms she cleans.
In one room, she tries on a black slip that she finds. Jane stands on the bed in the crumpled sheets, viewing herself in the mirror. She likes the idea of being someone else.
Later, in another room, Jane sits at the table with her feet up, trying to build a house of cards. The cards each have a nude woman on the front. As she attempts to place the four of hearts with the topless brunette, they all fall.
In the third room, Jane comes across remnants that are much like those seen in her bedroom when she first wakes up. The people that were staying in this room are just like her. Her escape into fantasy has now become reality, and it hits her like a ton of bricks. She is scared, and somewhat horrified. Jane must now decide whether to stay in this existence she finds herself in, or to break free and try for a new life.
Set in the heat-soaked town of Twentynine Palms, the desert landscape becomes a character, and the film rides the line between art and narrative.
Long Synopsis
Nothing tells the story of a young woman named Jane. She has resigned herself to a life with a man that she doesn't love and a dead-end job as a maid in a small rundown motel. Her one form of escape is to try on the lives of the guests that are staying in the rooms she cleans.
Each day, Jane wakes up tired from the night before, resigned to the day that lies ahead. The sun is glaring and bright outside as Jane drives her beat-up car to work. Everyone who has a/c in their cars drives around with the windows up. Jane's windows are down. People keep their shades drawn in their houses and the swamp coolers groan, drip, and strain. She drives past desert landscape, rundown houses, buildings, and trailers. The long ash from her cigarette hangs precariously for the whole drive, until she stops the car and it falls on the lap of her maid outfit. She absentmindedly brushes it away as she pulls up to a small, faded, one-story motel. Past the almost-dead cactus, past the weeds jutting through the cracks in the asphalt, she pulls around to the back of the motel and parks next to the garbage bin. Another day.
The maid's cart sits outside room 3, along with a pile of towels on the ground. The door is open, along with the window and curtains. It doesn't matter. The few guests staying at the motel are gone for the day. The curtain moves only slightly, as a rare hot breeze has developed in the last few minutes. It won't last long. Jane stands on the bed in the crumpled used sheets, wearing a black slip that doesn't belong to her. She awkwardly runs her hand along the silk resting on her thigh as she looks at herself in the mirror. She likes the thought of being someone else, but is uncomfortable in her own skin. Jane doesn't realize that the 'someone else' was most likely a prostitute, but rather imagines that the room guest has a much better life.
Later, in another room, Jane sits at the table with her feet up, drinking the lone unopened beer that was left in the left-behind 6-pack. She smokes a cigarette as she attempts to build a house of cards. The cards each have a nude woman on the front. The man who was here just this morning will miss these when he pulls into his next motel. She makes it to the third story of the house. As she attempts to place the four of hearts with the topless brunette, they all fall.
Jane is cleaning another room. The person who stayed here is gone now. As Jane pulls the pillow cases off the pillows, she notices a trucker hat wedged in between the mattress and the headboard. She puts it on and continues to clean. She pulls a half-smoked cigarette out of the pack in her pocket and lights it. Sitting on the bed, Jane assesses her new character in the mirror, as she drinks the last bit of whiskey from the bottle on the nightstand. After a few drags off the smoke, she goes to stub it out. She notices that the ashtray is overflowing, not unlike the one on her own nightstand. There are also two empty glasses, one with lipstick stains and the bottle she just drank from. She looks at all these remnants. The people that were her in the room are just like her. Her escape into fantasy has now become reality, and it has hit her like a ton of bricks. She is scared, shocked, and somewhat horrified. She leaves the room in a hurry.
Driving back to her house, Jane runs in. After a few moments, black plastic trash bags full of stuff are tossed from her bedroom window onto the dirt and weed covered ground below. Jane hurries outside and throws the bags into the back of her car. She drives off down the road, as the sun sets in the distance. After some time, Jane pulls off the road, into a gas station. She pumps gas under the fluorescent light while the lights of Twentynine Palms glimmer in the background. Soon she will be on the road.
Set in the heat-soaked town of Twentynine Palms, the desert landscape becomes a character, and the film rides the line between art and narrative.