''Gypsy 83'' is an American 2001

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, written and directed by

Todd Stephens Todd Stephens is an American film director, writer, and producer. He was raised in Sandusky, Ohio, which has served as the setting for several of his films, many of which are gay-themed. He both wrote and produced the autobiographical coming out ...

. The film is about two young

goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

, Gypsy and Clive, who travel to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for an annual festival celebrating their idol,

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

. Filming took place in

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,963 at the 2020 census. Hazleton is the second largest city in Luzerne County. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on Decembe ...

Plot

25 year old Gypsy Vale (

Sara Rue Sara Rue (born January 26, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her performances as Carmen Ferrara on ''Popular'', as Claude Casey on ''Less than Perfect'', and as the Attorney General in ''Idiocracy''. In 2011, she hosted The CW realit ...

) and 18 year old Clive Webb (

Kett Turton Birkett Kealy "Kett" Turton (born April 4, 1982) is an American-born Canadian film and television actor who had a starring role in the television series ''Dead Last'' (2001).Rosenberg, Howard (2001) "WB Summer Offering Ends Up a 'Dead' Bore", ''L ...

) are two

living in Sandusky,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Gypsy's parents, Ray (

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...

) and Velvet (Marlene Wallace), once were in a band together, and Gypsy now aspires to be a famous singer, like her idol,

. She is hesitant, because of the disappearance of her mother, to leave her father alone in Sandusky to pursue her dreams. While checking updates on a Stevie Nicks fansite, Clive discovers the ''Night of a Thousand Stevies'' event in New York. After a long and heated discussion with Gypsy, her father reveals that her mother didn't just disappear, or die: she left to follow her dream of becoming a famous singer. Despite this, Clive finally convinces Gypsy to go to New York. Along the way, Gypsy and Clive encounter a diverse host of characters and obstacles. They pick up a hitchhiker named Zechariah, who claims he is running away from the Amish life. Together, the three decide to stop and spend the night at a rest stop. While there, Clive expresses his attraction for Zechariah, but Zechariah says that he's attracted to Gypsy. Clive is embarrassed and runs away. Gypsy is surprised and flattered and as a result, she and Zechariah end up sleeping together. Afterward, Zechariah says that he's made a mistake and needs to return home. Enraged, Gypsy throws him out of the bathroom where she is staying at the rest stop. Meanwhile, Clive is accosted in secret by Troy, who is also spending the night at the rest stop with his fraternity brothers, and the two have a sexual encounter. The next morning, while Gypsy and Clive are trying to console each other and make sense out of the events of the previous night, the two are egged and mocked by the fraternity brothers as they leave the rest area while Troy sits silently. They miss the auditions for the Night of a Thousand Stevies, and Gypsy learns that her mother committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

four years earlier. The sympathetic Mistress of Ceremonies, also her mother's best friend when she was in New York, allows Gypsy to perform a song she wrote for her mother at the end of the show. In the end, Gypsy stays in New York to pursue her musical aspirations like her mother, and Clive returns to Sandusky to finish high school but plans to come back to New York after he graduates.

Cast

as Gypsy Vale *

as Clive Webb *

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

as Bambi LeBleau, a retired singer *

as Ray Vale, Gypsy's father * Marlene Wallace as Velvet Vale, Gypsy's mother * Anson Scoville as Zechariah Peachy, an

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

runaway *

Paulo Costanzo Paulo Costanzo (born September 21, 1978) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (Ax) in the TV series ''Animorphs'', the roles of Rubin Carver in the comedy film ''Road Trip'', Alexander Cabot in ''Josie and ...

as Troy, a college frat boy * Carolyn Baeumler as Lois * Stephanie McVay as Polly Pearl * Amanda Talbot as Connie * Vera Beren as Empress Chi Chi Valenti, a goth club matron *

Andersen Gabrych Andersen Gabrych is an American comic book writer and actor. Early life Gabrych grew up in Chico, California. He's been a fan of comics since childhood, having read an issue of ''Justice League of America'' at the age of 7. Gabrych was active in ...

as Banning

Music

The film's original music was composed by

Marty Beller Marty Beller (born July 10, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the current drummer for They Might Be Giants since Dan Hickey's departure in 2004. He has recorded two solo albums. He has contributed writing and vocals for three of ...

. The soundtrack features well known icons of the

gothic subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-pu ...

, such as

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

, Claire Voyant, and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

artists

Velvet Acid Christ Velvet Acid Christ (VAC) is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990 by lead vocalist, musician, and producer Bryan Erickson (aka Disease Factory), and later featured various ex-members of Toxic Coma. The ...

and

Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synth-pop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselve ...

.There is also a cover of famous song of Stevie Nicks called “Talk to me” by another gothic band

Diva Destruction Diva Destruction is an American goth rock project. It was formed by singer-songwriter Debra Fogarty in 1998. Diva Destruction signed to German music label Alice In... of the Dark Dimensions label group. Diva Destruction is also signed to Metrop ...

Reception

''Gypsy 83'' currently holds a 54% 'Fresh' rating on review aggregate website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, with the consensus "This coming-of-age story of alienated youth is too familiar."

Awards and nominations

;Wins L.A.

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

* Grand Jury Award – Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film (

) (''Tied with

Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E.' ...

in L.I.E. (2001)'') Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival * Award for Excellence – Best New Director (

) Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival * Audience Award – Best Feature Film (Todd Stephens) Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival * Audience Award – Best Feature Film or Video (Todd Stephens) ;Nominations Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival * Best Feature Film (Todd Stephens)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gypsy 83 2001 films 2000s buddy drama films 2001 drama films 2001 independent films 2001 LGBT-related films 2000s drama road movies American buddy drama films American coming-of-age drama films American independent films American LGBT-related films American drama road movies 2001 directorial debut films 2000s English-language films Films set in Ohio Films shot in Ohio LGBT-related coming-of-age films LGBT-related drama films Amish in films Films about singers Gay-related films 2000s coming-of-age drama films 2000s American films