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Reviews
American Storytellers (2003)
Mukherji tells a great story himself
Excellent pacing. Mukherji asks the right questions to the filmmakers and gives the viewers an intimate look at their respective careers. American Storytellers shows how four individuals who come from different backgrounds share a unique talent. It also gives aspiring directors, producers, actors, or anyone trying to make in the film business, a first hand look at success stories. No wonder it has recently been picked up overseas. If anyone is wondering what makes an independent film "independent", this is the movie to watch. But along with substance, there is style. With the black and white shots and movie sets, Mukherji leaves us visually stimulated and deep in thought.
Tarnation (2003)
Traumatic events destroy lives, documentary.
The heart breaking story of Rene LeBlanc and her tortured son Jonathan gets lost amidst gratuitous Imovie effects and pretentious self-recordings of Jonathan posing in front of the camera. On a superficial level, Caouette's editing choices lend a gritty, ADD-induced edge to the documentary in a way that says "I'm troubled. And I'm telling you my story in my own troubled way".
That troubled way, which is being hailed as pure brilliance, is distracting and bloated with nonessential crap. The private self-recordings of Jonathan age 11-15 that reveal a troubled, confused boy are a vital inclusion to the work. However, the self recordings of Jonathan age 18 & above reveal nothing more than at the time it was shot Jonathan was bored, misunderstood and in love with himself. Seriously, how does the endless parade of narcissistic clips of Jonathan gazing vacantly into the camera help tell terrible story of his mother?
Caouette knows he has an amazing story to tell. Unfortunately, he drowns it in his own vanity. Compared to what it could have been, it feels rushed and yes, it feels cheap. Perhaps Caouette should have waited longer to do this film. He could have researched shock therapy. The premeditated confrontations he makes toward his family in the film could have been planned more carefully. He could have used his Mitchell/Van Zandt connection to sharpen the project and give it more aim, more poignancy. So much more could have been made of this unique opportunity.
Jonathan's problems end up becoming the documentary's problems. It all might be therapeutic for him (and a great study for doctors and students), but it is frustrating for the viewer who leaves thinking, "Hmmm...How sad. Now what exactly did that do for me?".