“Gypsy 83” is a Love Letter to the Early-Aughts Freaks
To grow up in Ohio is to be born dreaming of an escape. Twenty-five years ago, Todd Stephens’ film, Gypsy 83, told the story of two goth kids who were desperate to escape from the prison that is Ohio suburbia. The film had a short run at some LGBT festivals in 2001, but didn’t make a big splash at the box office. In fact, Gypsy 83 had to wait until 2004 for its theatrical run. Now, in 2026, it returns triumphantly to the big screen as the goth, weirdo cult classic it was always meant to be.
It’s 2001 in Ohio. School is on the precipice of ending and the suburban ennui is strong enough to convince folks to pick up and move to New York on a whim. Such is the case for Clive (Kett Turton) and Gypsy (Sara Rue). They’re goth misfits in Sandusky, Ohio, who cling to each other, despite their age gap, because no one else understands them. No one gets their music or their clothes or their vibe. It’s just Gypsy, Clive, and their guiding light, Stevie Nicks. Gypsy dreams of having a witchy music career like Stevie, while Clive wants to design clothes for Gypsy in the style of Stevie. When they learn of a party in New York called Night of 1,000 Stevies, the friends see it as their escape out of Ohio.
The early-2000s were a hard time for this type of counter culture programming. Gypsy 83 is unashamedly queer and out of the mainstream, but this was also the era when conformity was all the rage. A personal favorite, Josie and the Pussycats, also had the unfortunate timing of being released in this era. Gypsy 83 picked up awards during its festival run, but the film’s celebration of being unapologetically oneself (especially when one’s self includes sky-high leather boots) would have been seen as too extreme. Compared to a film like Ghost World (also from 2001), Gypsy 83 is like the Wild West. Even though Ghost World is often cited as an early-aughts indie movie for the weirdos, in retrospect and in comparison to Gypsy 83, it’s actually quite safe. Gypsy 83’s characters are on the outskirts, not just for their style and preference for goth music, but because of themselves. Clive is gay and in a small town, so he’s struggling to find acceptance beyond his best friend. Gypsy is repeatedly harassed and called overweight, internalizing a belief that no one finds her desirable.
These friends are real misfits because they refuse to conform to societal expectations. Maybe they lean a little into some of the goth looks and make-up so their fellow Ohioans have something to gossip about, but they, like everyone, are just looking for their place in the world. Their definition of a home and a future might look a lot different from the suburban dream they grew up in, or maybe it doesn’t. As fearless as they are in being their counter culture selves, Clive and Gypsy are afraid to want what’s considered “normal.” Does wanting a white picket fence and a marriage dilute the fact that they also want to twirl in a shawl to Stevie Nicks music? As they say in the film, “Stevie Nicks is a state of mind.”
Twenty-five years on and Gypsy 83 is still a rollicking adventure. Clive and Gypsy were written for the noncomforists of suburbia who dream of adventure far beyond the state of Ohio. “I want them to write my lyrics on their AOL profiles,” Gypsy wistfully sighs. It captures the duality that exists in all of us who are young, lost, and trying to find community. Gypsy wants to be seen as a profound artist, but also wants to be accepted into the mainstream. Stevie Nicks surely isn’t writing with AOL profiles in mind, but she is making music that speaks to the lovelorn teens dialing up. By the end, Gypsy realizes there’s no better person to be than herself, but if you can bring a little bit of the spirit of Stevie into everything you do, that’s pretty good too.
Follow me on BlueSky, Instagram, Letterboxd, TikTok, YouTube, & Facebook. Check out Movies with My Dad, a podcast recorded on the car ride home from the movies and I Think You’ll Hate This, a podcast hosted by two friends who rarely agree.
support your local film critic!
~
support your local film critic! ~
Beyond the Cinerama Dome is run by one perpetually tired film critic
and her anxious emotional support chihuahua named Frankie.
Your kind donation means Frankie doesn’t need to get a job…yet.