A Baltimore teenager who picks up a second-hand camera starts snapping his way to stardom, soon turning into a nationwide sensation, with a fateful choice between his life and his art.

What happens when the Pope of Trash becomes wholesome and mainstream? In the late 90s, slotted between the pitch dark comedies Serial Mom (classic) and Cecil B. Demented (sure Jan), John Waters’ Pecker proved a further foray into gentler Waters, bizarre sensibilities intact with the undeniable mellowness of middle age. Critics cooled and fanfare quieted, but that was nothing new for America’s Baron of Bad Taste (Sultan of Sleaze? Prince of Puke?).

The film follows the rise to stardom of teenaged photographer/sandwich shop worker Pecker (Edward Furlong), whose pictures of his delightfully dysfunctional family and eccentric fellow Baltimoreans lands him smack dab in New York City’s hot art scene. 

What is Waters’ most autobiographical film may also be his most ripe for reassessment, with its snarky satire on the art world in contrast with The People’s Pervert’s typical parade of Baltimore oddities. It is in this spirit that we will be screening Pecker on glorious DVD!

Joining us to offer their passionate defence is the spiritually-Baltimorean filmmaker Simon Ennis (The Hobby: Tales From The Tabletop, Gimme Truth). But in the end, only the audience can decide: is it an underrated masterpiece, or a perfectly rated fiasco? – MARC BASQUE & LACEY NOVINKA

Doors Open 30 Minutes Before Showtime.