Paper Heart

            This is one of the most interesting films I have ever been surprised by.  For a long while, I couldn’t tell what was real and what was scripted, and I still haven’t decided which parts are “true documentary” and which parts aren’t, but I don’t think that’s really the point.  The point is that this film was able to convey a meaning and tell a story that is important and completely human.  This film is something that comes right out of a chapter of many, many people’s lives and because it represents something so human, it is as true as it needs to be.  I think that as long as you tell a story true to the meaning, you are accomplishing a moral purpose.

            That being said, I don’t think it’s really fair to manipulate an audience without at least being clear what you’re doing.  This film had a good balance, because it was obvious that this wasn’t verite, but it still conveyed an important and real message.  It wouldn’t have been fair if they presented it in a different format fooling us into thinking it’s something that it isn’t.  In the end, we all learned something about love, which was the point of the film all along.

            I really appreciated the combination of the very different storytelling tactics that were used to drive the same points.  I found the contrast of the puppetry narratives and the in-the-street interviews to be a refreshing combination that got me to think about what they were trying to do, and I think it was very effective.

Lonely Boy

            The film “Lonely Boy” is a short film about the Canadian Paul Anka, who is a singer, songwriter, musician, pop star, teen idol.  It follows him as he travels, performs, encounters his fans, and writes music in between.  The film at first seems like a performance documentary, and it is, but there’s a bit more to this one.  As the audience follows Paul Anka throughout his life as a pop star, it becomes clear that in spite of all his screaming fans and loyal followers, he really is (as one of his more popular songs says) just a “lonely boy.”  His life, while glamorous and well presented, is somewhat empty.  This is an interesting thought about celebrities.  I have always thought that I wouldn’t like to be a celebrity, because (apart from not being able to go anywhere without being recognized) it would be difficult to know who your real friends are.  In addition, there would constantly be people you didn’t even know criticizing your life and your choices and your work.  This isn’t to say that I want to go through life completely anonymous (which isn’t exactly true, if I could, I would love to be totally invisible most of the time), but having too much recognition is less than desirable.  Even the people that loved you wouldn’t even love you for being a person; they love you for your songs and your looks and only in large groups.  This brings me to the thoughts I have on so-called “fandom” and such things.  Logically and morally, this type of behavior seems totally irrational, and it is, but I myself have fallen victim to fan girl screaming and things.  I think that it’s a human reaction.  This is especially true when people are in large groups and capable of encouraging and bolstering each other.

Queen of Versailles

This film overcame the expectations I had created after seeing the first half or so of it for the first time.  What started out seeming like an inside story of an interesting, extravagant person and her unusual endeavors turned into a more heart-warming story that was ultimately human.  I had more of an empathetic reactions to these people’s struggles and thoughts than I would have thought possible at the beginning of the film.

 What I really love about documentary, something I think this film does very well, is that you can take a real human story and tell it in a cohesive, interesting way that will draw people in, get them interested and caring about the subjects.  Sometimes I think people forget that documentaries can be more than just facts about volcanoes.  Documentaries can and should be about real people with real human problems and emotions.  There is no better way to connect with an audience than to show somebody not unlike the viewer living their life.

I like that, although these people are certainly different in some ways than most other people, this film shows that they aren't really all that different at all.  I appreciate the storytelling integrity of Lauren Greenfield in her filmmaking and the trust she kept with the subjects.  You can really tell in the film that she cares about these people and the things happening to them.