Kitchen

The film opens with Warhol's static camera fixed on an empty white kitchen. Sneezing sounds punctuate the silent space as a voice-over introduces Reel One and lists Edie Sedgwick as Jo, along with the other participants. Sedgwick explains that scripts are hidden on the set so actors can pretend to read or check the calendar on the wall.

Sedgwick's voice enumerates the objects in the kitchen, including the malted machine electric mixer. She reveals that scripts are hidden on the set so actors can find lines by pretending to read or glancing at the calendar. The moment signals the film's performative, self-inventing nature.

Jo enters the kitchen while Rene Ricard arrives and begins washing the dishes. Jo is in makeup and a photographer, David McCabe, briefly appears to photograph her before exiting. The sequence sets a rhythm of incidental actions that blur the line between performance and reality.

David McCabe the photographer appears to take pictures of Jo during her makeup, then leaves the scene. The interaction is brief and disconnected from any conventional storytelling. The kitchen becomes a stage for quick interruptions.

Roger Trudeau as Mickey enters and the group begins a fumbling of lines. The energy is tentative and almost documentary, as if the actors are learning their parts in front of the camera. The improvised atmosphere foregrounds the film's anti-narrative approach.

Jo climbs onto the table to exercise, displaying her legs in a performative moment. The action emphasizes the film's deliberate silliness and challenge to traditional shot composition. The moment interrupts the dialogue as the cast shuffles around.

Mickey and Jo exchange a halting dialogue about sex while the dishwasher remains a silent backdrop. The mismatch between spoken lines and the actions around them creates a hypnotic, static mood. The kitchen becomes a stage where ordinary chores collide with staged eroticism.

Jo pretends to spank Mickey, adopting the role of his mother in a faux disciplinary gesture. The scene blurs authority, affection, and humor within the improvised setting. It contributes to the film's sense of playing with social roles.

When Mickey begins a monologue, Jo turns on the electric mixer, drowning out the dialogue with grinding noise. Jo laughs and dances with the mixer’s sound as the scene devolves into chaotic noise. The moment underscores the film's rejection of conventional performance.

The second reel opens with Jo studying her script while a male voice announces Reel 2 and lists the other actors and technical assistants. The on-screen directions to the actors are read aloud, highlighting the production's meta-textual nature. The mood shifts toward a behind-the-scenes feel.

The malted machine is turned on and off again, punctuating the action with a mechanical hum. Other performers, including David McCabe, Donald Lyons, and Elektrah Lobel, enter and exit the chaotic space. The repetition reinforces the film's aloof, repetitive aesthetic.

Dialogue becomes more aimless as the players drift in and out; Jo spills coffee onto the table. The exchange lacks conventional narrative drive, emphasizing texture over plot. The coffee stain mirrors the set's improvisational looseness.

The film drifts toward a reality television-like mood as Jo burns her hand on the kitchen stove and others react nonchalantly. The actors seem to believe they are no longer being filmed and discontinue performing. The scene heightens the sense of unreality and detachment from traditional filmmaking.

Malanga enters to take a cold drink from the fridge as the film ends, creating a quiet, almost mundane closing note amid the chaos. The closing moment reflects Warhol's blend of performance, voyeurism, and spontaneous texture. The kitchen remains the stage for this experimental piece.