Welcome to the Dollhouse
(Todd Solondz, 1995)
vs.
American Movie
(Chris Smith and Sarah Price, 1999)
About two years ago, after watching
Storytelling with some people, one of them stated that the “non-fiction” section’s film was based on
American Movie. The idea being that Smith and Price made and/or cut their film at the expense of Mark Borchardt and friends; going in I was braced for an exploitative treatment.
Dawn: Why do you hate me?
Brandon: Because you’re ugly.
That exchange sums up
Welcome to the Dollhouse, but I think it also informs this question of intention in
American Movie. While
Dollhouse is not so easily about being ugly, but more about being different and unwelcome because of this difference.
American Movie could also be read as such a commentary on difference, and moreso how the idea of the American Dream instills unrealistic desires, but I unfortunately have little sense that Smith and Price were making that movie. Or were they?
I found Borchardt and friends beautiful characters. Certainly Smith and Price had something to do with framing Borchardt at best as a persistent man following his dreams and at worst a delusional lovable loser. That said, there was plenty of footage that was beyond the making of
Coven and
Northwestern, and it seemed that more often than not this footage was a poke at Borchardt. Without knowing how the film about a film was chosen, it seems that Smith and Price could have filmed another film project, likely without such a loaded “star”, it seems there must have been some understanding that Borchardt was a good subject because of his lovable loser vibe – because “he’s ugly”. This raises the question one of Mark’s brothers asks of why
Coven is being made – 'what is the moral standing of such a film?'
When I rented
American Movie from my local dealer, the guy at the counter said this was probably his favorite documentary – “but you really think it’s a mockumentary.” Clearly there is some ambiguity surrounding the subjects, and it seems that it is easy to understand the film as a bit of a joke on them. But is this fully the responsibility of the film-makers instead of the audience? I don’t think so, but again, it seems a stretch to maintain that Smith and Price didn’t knowingly use Borchardt as a butt, knowing the audience would likely react in a such a way.
Contrast
Movie to
Dollhouse.
Dollhouse is clearly indicting systems of oppression, and individual oppressors, making Dawn’s life miserable – school, boys, family. Solondz is making clear commentary on the ugliness of normative U.S. culture. The problem is that the film, much like this write-up, is a bit tedious and pedantic. I get it. No nuance. Hmmm.
Movie, as problematic as the film-makers’ positions might be, can be read as a similar critique of the U.S., but doing so with warm and real characters. Forget the fact that they
are “real”, as documentary subjects, but Solondz’ characters are such flat characterizations (as his characters tend to be, even when nuance is attempted) that it drains any interest and investment in their struggle.
With some reluctance,
American Movie moves on.