Shit Year

Shit Year is a 2010 American experimental drama film written and directed by Cam Archer and starring Ellen Barkin.^[1] The film was screened at the Directors' Fortnight event of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Shit Year
Film poster
Directed by	Cam Archer
Written by	Cam Archer
Produced by	Lars Knudsen Jay Van Hoy
Starring	Ellen Barkin
Cinematography	Aaron Platt
Edited by	Madeleine Riley
Music by	Mick Turner
Production companies	Parts and Labor Wild Invention
Distributed by	Cinemad Presents
Release date	May 15, 2010 (2010-05-15) (Cannes)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

After a successful career, actress Colleen West (Ellen Barkin) decides to retire and return to a life without so much adventure in a peaceful place. It is when a large building is installed in the vicinity and breaks the calm of the place. Mrs. West, then, realizes that the serenity of before all that would not return and that her life, in reality, was an entire stage, where everything and everyone were full interpretations. Seized by dissatisfaction, Colleen begins to feel as if she has lived her life through her characters staged on stages and on screens.^[3]

Cast

• Ellen Barkin as Colleen West
• Luke Grimes as Harvey West
• Bob Einstein as Rick
• Theresa Randle as Marion
• Melora Walters as Shelly
• Rickie Lee Jones^[4] as Narrator

Production

According to Archer, the film was shot in Los Angeles, with additional reshoots in Santa Cruz, California.^[5][6]

Reception

The film has a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[7] Glenn Heath Jr. of Slant Magazine awarded the film three stars out of four.^[8]

Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a mixed review but praised Barkin's performance.^[9] Jay Weissberg of Variety gave a positive review and wrote that the film "stays engrossing thanks not only to Barkin’s strengths but also Archer’s compositional eye."^[4]