Middle American Image

Middle American

By Alan Ng | August 5, 2022

From director Jay Karales, Middle American is a short film and music video featuring Mario Cuomo, the frontman of The Orwells. The title track of Cuomo’s first solo album explores the despair of life found in the urban midwest.

“…follows the go-nowhere lives of two forgotten men…”

The video follows the go-nowhere lives of two forgotten men: Kansas (Stone Head) and Chicago (Kenney Dorcely). Chicago grinds out each day as an Amazon driver while Kansas wanders aimlessly through the city. Director Jay Karales perfectly matches the desperate tone of Cuomo’s track with moving images of his two characters, Kansas and Chicago. They are living, yet there’s no life.

Middle American is a haunting yet powerful ballad. Cuomo’s refrain, “We’re Middle American,” speaks to an entire region of the U.S. that is losing its last spark of hope and knowing there’s no one coming to the rescue.

For more information about Middle American, visit the Forgotten Genres website.

Middle American (2022)

Directed: Jay Karales

Written: Mario Cuomo

Starring: Stone Head, Kenney Dorcely, etc.

Movie score: 7.5/10

Middle American Image

"…a haunting yet powerful ballad."

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Join our Film Threat Newsletter

Newsletter Icon