The two reviews below were part of two.one.five magazine's feature on Philadelphia Film Festival 2010.
11/04/08
Dir. Jeff Deutchman
Score: 3.4
Jeff Deutchman, Acquisitions Manager for IFC Films, got the idea for this documentary two weeks before the last presidential election: Why not mass Facebook blast everyone who might have access to a video camera and an interest in recording the events of and reactions to the day that many figured would become an important moment in American history? This listless documentary is the half-baked result. Deutchman's team captured people the world over talking about the change they felt would surely come with Obama's election. Admittedly a great concept, the film fails to capture the excitement and siginficance of that recent moment in U.S. history where liberals, democrats and humanitarians felt a glimmer of hope for their country. Self-professed curator Deutchman pieces together video bits but fails to make them feel cohesive -- the map-jumping seems to have little rhyme or reason. The pacing, too, makes little sense and the climax of the piece -- Obama's winning -- falls more than a tad flat. Instead of elation, the film leaves you feeling sad; for all the supposed change that people thought was on the way, the film's very nature mimics the lack of change in our political system since November 4, 2008.
OC87
Dir. Bud Clayman
Score: 6.9
Filmmaker Bud Clayman has suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, and Asperger's almost all of his life. As he was nearing college graduation, he also neared a breakdown that would prevent him from making movies for the next thirty years. With
OC87, he reclaims a bit of his dream and in the process, creates, with the help of others, a documentary about his journey for recovery from these mental disorders. From coast to coast, the viewer follows Bud and his team as he retraces the steps in his life. Combining interviews with family members and doctors with old film clips and picture slideshows, Clayman creates an unique and touching story. Characteristic of someone with Asperger's, Clayman doesn't become outwardly emotional but he does seem to change throughout the course of the film, making it wholly captivating and touching.
