Just as the new teaser for “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” shows, the documentary doesn’t necessarily want to play by the typical documentary rules. Using still photos, video, silent movie-esque narration, and other tricks, the Sundance standout is poised to be one of the most interesting non-fiction releases of 2020.
The film is said to tell the story of the last days of a dive bar in Las Vegas called the Roaring 20s. However, as seen in the teaser for the film, the bar is secondary to the cast of characters that populate it. And like any good documentary, it’s those folks that are going to carry the narrative of what is bound to be a fascinating look at an underseen part of Vegas nightlife.
The new doc comes from filmmaker duo, Bill and Turner Ross. The brothers previously directed films such as “Contemporary Color” and “Western.” “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, before moving onto screen at Berlinale and winning the True Vision Award at the True/False Film Festival.
“Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” will be released on VOD on July 10, with a special one-night release on July 7 to celebrate National Dive Bar Day (which is apparently a real thing?).
Here’s the synopsis:
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.