Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
"A brilliant work of cinema verite" (IndieWire) that captures the world of a beloved Vegas dive bar on its last night.
“The pub serves as a fascinating microcosm of America’s fractured, browbeaten underbelly on the verge of self-destruction… The result is both a grand cinematic deception and a bold filmmaking experimentation from two of the most intriguing directors working in non-fiction today.” - Eric Kohn, IndieWire
In the shadows of the bright lights of Las Vegas, it’s last call for a beloved dive bar known as the Roaring 20s. That’s the premise, at least; the reality is as unreal as the world the regulars are escaping from. BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS is a mosaic of disparate lives, teetering between dignity and debauchery, reckoning with the past as they face an uncertain future, and singing as their ship goes down.
Filmmaking duo Bill and Turner Ross (WESTERN, 2015 Sundance Film Festival) return with an elegiac portrait of a tiny world fading away but still warm and beating with the comfort of community. Their beguiling approach to nonfiction storytelling makes for a foggy memory of experience lost in empty shot glasses and puffs of smoke.
“Bursting with humanity, grounded in humility, and in love with the poetry of faces, BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS… is a reminder that good films can be made cheaply as long as they supply the audience with remarkable moments. This one consists of nothing else.” - Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“The holy trinity of dive bar life—despondency, frivolity and pugnacity—is present and spiritually enriching.” - Daniel Christian, Paste Magazine
Director
Director
Country
United States
Bonus Content
After Hours
Join directors Bill and Turner at the bar after the movie for a conversation with the cast, loungy piano, and a performance by a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer!