Movie Review: Bill Benz’s ‘The Nowhere Inn’ (2021) is Stylish, Witty, and Charming

IFC Films’ metafictional feature, The Nowhere Inn is quite different than anything I’ve seen before and I appreciated the uniqueness, charm, and comedy. The film was directed by Bill Benz and co-written by Annie Clark and Carrie Brownstein. It stars Annie Clark, Carrie Brownstein, and Dakota Johnson.

Synopsis for The Nowhere Inn

From real-life friends Annie Clark (a.k.a. GRAMMY award-winning recording and touring artist St. Vincent) and Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney, the best-selling Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl) comes the metafictional account of two creative forces banding together to make a documentary about St. Vincent’s music, touring life, and on-stage persona. But they quickly discover unpredictable forces lurking within the subject and filmmaker that threaten to derail the friendship, the project, and the duo’s creative lives. From first-time filmmaker Bill Benz (Portlandia, At Home With Amy Sedaris) comes a densely woven, laugh-out-loud funny and increasingly fractured commentary on reality, identity, and authenticity. A story of two close friends who attempt to wrestle the truth out of a complex subject before the hall of mirrors that is their artistic lives devours them completely.

What I love about this film is that shows how easy it is to lose grasp of reality and how desperate some people will become to simply be seen and not forgotten. Sometimes you want something so bad, you’ll do anything to make it happen and once you have it, you lose all appreciation for what and who got you to that point. And most importantly and unfortunately, one typically loses themselves and spiral down a rabbit hole. The Nowhere Inn is charming, witty, fun, stylish, and even a bit sad.

St. Vincent is brilliant. She delivers a beautiful, charming, witty performance. Even when she’s being manipulative you can’t take your eyes off the screen. I love how Carrie Brownstein plays the perfect part of a supportive friend but still challenges and questions St. Vincent when she knows not being authentic. Dakota Johnson was also quite charming in this and one of my favorite roles of hers thus far.

I haven’t seen many metafictional films, but this one was fun and unique, and memorable. I really loved the style of it and thought everything tied together perfectly. The Nowhere Inn opens September 17, 2021, in theaters and everywhere you can rent movies, so be sure to check out all your digital platforms.