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.
Amy, I'm so happy you finally saw this film and you liked it! This was one my favorite docs of all time. Your comments were interesting to me because I feel like I had the exact same reactions as you did. Before I saw the film, I thought it was going about how ridiculous these peoples' lives are because they are so rich, but I loved how Lauren Greenfield took a different approach. By the end of the film I felt such sympathy for the characters, especiallyJackie. This film did an amazing job of telling this families story without villanizing them at all.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the comments you made on Lauren Greenfield documentary integrity. She is an amazing filmmaking who is able to make films about touchy subjects without pointing judgement at the characters at all, and I really look up to that. I loved how you said you could tell by watching the film that Lauren really cares about her subjects, because I felt that way as well.