2. American Movie (Dir.: Chris Smith, 1998)
As seen with
Lost in La Mancha and
Heart of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse, the making of movies is as engrossing and enthralling as the finished product. In this case, this documentary is the making of a movie that is never realised and a desperately amateur horror short that makes
The Evil Dead look like
Avatar. Instead, we are given a touching portrait of a film fanatic who refuses to relinquish his dreams which is completely charming. Mark Borchardt is a struggling film maker. The documentary begins with Borchardt desperately trying to get through pre-production of his debut feature film
Northwestern. Interestingly, the film is a supposed look at Middle America and the inhabitants who are excluded from the American Dream and left in a decadent, indigent post-industrial wasteland. The film shows how the movie never progresses past a second pre-production meeting (where no one shows up) and Borchardt, undeterred decides to finish his three year in the making horror short entitled
Coven. The film could easily be a study of self-destructive hubris, yet director Chris Smith presents Borchardt as a down-on-his-luck dreamer who has never gotten a break. The would-be director and his cast and crew have delusions of grandeur and a lack of common sense which is awkwardly humorous. However we are given time to spend with the characters and effectively drink the Kool-Aid and desperately root for them to finish the movie and accomplish their dreams. Borchardt is by no means an infallible protagonist. He drinks too much, he takes advantage of his ailing uncle to procure funds for the film and constantly fights with his mother and the mother of his children. The documentary could easily verge into social realist drama territory but Borchardt really comes alive when he is plunged head first into making his warped masterpiece. In many ways
American Movie embodies the ethos of Hollywood and America. Borchardt is a dreamer and despite his alack of experience, skill, funding and support he is relentless in the pursuit of happiness.