IMDb plot summary: Documentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
Directed by Chris Smith.
American Movie is a documentary following Mike Borchardt, an aspiring filmmaker in Wisconsin who is trying to finance his own low-budget horror movie. We follow him through his search for funds, trying to get the right sound effects, working on stunts, and wrestling with his own personal demons. As someone who grew up with artistic interests in a small Midwestern town, I found this incredibly claustrophobic. These characters are a little too close to home, and while on one level I love seeing people pull out all the stops to achieve their artistic dreams, it was also depressing to see them so stuck. I think the documentary mostly does a good job of taking what easily could be a mocking look at rural America and instead shows them as the normal people they are, with all the quirks and aspirations and broken families and good and bad decisions that come with life. There are a few moments where it teeters on the edge of mockery, but I think it's aiming for sincerity. It's hard to figure out how to rank this, but I think it's a well-crafted film.
How it entered my Flickchart:
American Movie > Pete's Dragon (1977)
American Movie < Anna Karenina
American Movie > For a Few Dollars More
American Movie < Batman Returns
American Movie < The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
American Movie > Oh Darling Yeh Hai India
American Movie < Mean Girls (2004)
American Movie < Good Time
American Movie > The Piano
American Movie < Possession
American Movie < Koyaanisqatsi
American Movie > The Meg
Final spot: #1419 out of 3977, or 64%.
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