Without you I’m Nothing (1990)

(On Cable TV, September 2021) As someone who finds Sarah Bernhard curiously attractive, the idea of spending 90 minutes watching a film adaptation of one of her one-woman shows was irresistible. But I clearly had no idea what I was getting into, as the result is very specifically hers. While superficially the usual mix of songs and stand-up numbers, the entire thing teeters precipitously on the edge of camp, irony and artifice. She wears disguises, becomes a variety of personas, takes on spoken-word material that clearly isn’t autobiographical, satirizes circa-1990 society (which does have some timeless quality), does unusual covers of recognizable songs… and that’s just the performance material, because in-between we get a disinterested announcer, a crowd that leaves the venue (the last one leaving a harsh review), semi-erotic interludes and even more material that defies description. It all culminates in a burlesque performance that leaves only the bare minimum to the imagination. Throughout, we get the sense that it’s a self-aware performance on top of other self-aware performances, with a thick lathering of irony that makes everything feel even weirder. What to make of it? I’m not sure, except that it’s a fun ride with Bernhard. Side note: the film’s title is bland, but it’s shortened from the much-funnier title of the off-Broadway show it’s adapted from: Without You, I’m Nothing, With You, I’m Not Much Better.