Watching “Gummo” (1997) in 2021: A Violent Exploration of Class in Contemporary America
Shaky handheld clips of dilapidated homes, power lines and families flip through
the screen as a child sings an expletive-filled nursery rhyme. A child starts to
mumble:
“Xenia, Ohio. A few years ago, a tornado hit this place. It killed the people
left and right … Houses were split open … People’