Described by director
Gregg Araki as "A
Beverly Hills 90210 episode on acid" (with no suggestions of what it might be cut with), Nowhere is a companion piece with Araki's previous meditations on youth gone wild in the 1990s, Totally F***ed Up and
The Doom Generation -- Araki's self-described "teen apocalypse trilogy." Nowhere follows 18-year-old Dark Smith (
James Duval) as he goes through a fairly typical day in Los Angeles. Dark needs, but rarely gets, emotional support from his girlfriend Mel (
Rachel True). Mel, however, is also involved with a girl named Lucifer (
Kathleen Robertson), while Dark moons over hunky Montgomery (Nathan Bexton). Dark's best friend Cowboy (
Guillermo Diaz) has troubles of his own, as his boyfriend and bandmate Bart (
Jeremy Jordan) is back on drugs and spending most of his time with his dealer. Mel's friends include sugar junkie Dingbat (
Christina Applegate), doomsday poetess Alyssa (
Jordan Ladd), and Egg (Sarah Lassez), who is being unexpectedly wooed by a Famous Teen Idol (Jason Simmons). Egg's brother Ducky (
Scott Caan) has a crush on Alyssa, but she's keeping company with a biker named Elvis (Thyme Lewis). Alyssa's assignation with Elvis gets a psychic boost by her twin brother Shad (
Ryan Phillippe) and his tryst with Lilith (
Heather Graham). The day continues on a roller coaster of kinky sex, hallucinogenic drugs, random violence, romantic misunderstandings, alien abductions, and (of course) a wild party, this time at the home of noted hipster Jujyfruit (Gibby Haynes). Like
The Doom Generation, Nowhere features a wealth of pop culture icons in cameo appearances, including
John Ritter,
Traci Lords,
Charlotte Rae,
Eve Plumb, and
Shannen Doherty. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide