Blank Generation

Nada is a French journalist who treats romantic attachment with cool detachment. She communicates with Billy through her own videotaped messages and media, signaling a habit of self-display and distance. Her attempt to reconnect with Hoffritz reveals a restlessness beyond Billy’s drama and a search for autonomy amid a crumbling relationship.

Billy is a rising New York City musician whose passion is matched by volatile mood swings. He is prone to reckless choices that jeopardize his deal with Jack and his own rights, showing a craving for fame that blinds him to consequences. His entanglement with Lizzy and his volatile relationship with Nada drive the film’s tension.

Hoffritz is Nada’s journalist colleague who pursues an interview with Warhol, embodying the earnest quest for truth in a shallow media ecosystem. He is frustrated by Warhol’s evasions but remains determined to secure a meaningful exchange. His role exposes the friction between practical journalism and celebrity culture.

Warhol appears as himself, a figure of fame who dodges the interview yet sparks conversation about art, vanity, and media. He embodies the commodified charisma of the era, shaping how Nada and Billy view success. His evasive presence reveals the performative nature of celebrity.

Lizzy is a flaky aspiring documentarian who follows Billy, serving as a foil to Nada’s cool control. Her presence highlights the fragile, self-serving drive of new wave cinema and the blurred lines between art and personal gain. She becomes part of the couple’s tangled social circle, intensifying tensions.

Jack is Nada’s financier and Billy’s manager, orchestrating the deal and the party culture surrounding the band. He embodies the exploitation and control woven into the music industry’s look-and-sell mentality. His role anchors the business side of art and the moral compromises that come with it.

Kellerman is the financial backer behind Jack’s endeavors, representing corporate influence in the music world. His involvement underscores the transactional nature of art, where rights and royalties can be traded for ongoing access and control. He is a symbol of wealth as power within the film’s ecosystem.