# American Movie (1999)

### reviewed by
Murali Krishnan

    [3.0/4.0]

The phenomenon of ultra-low budget independent filmmaking has achieved some measure of commercial success in recent years, with the best example being 1999's ubiquitous Blair Witch Project. However, for every film that manages to reach audiences, there are countless many that go unnoticed. Simply being an independent production does not mean that a film is being developed from quality source material. Even when the fundamentals are sound and the filmmaker has a clear vision for the project, restricted resources can present crippling obstacles that keep the film from developing into a coherent product.

This film is a documentary that chronicles the struggles of Mark Borchardt, an aspiring filmmaker, and his attempt to fulfill his dreams. He is a young man who is unable to keep his personal life completely stable, but who has a strong vision and an indomitable determination to succeed in film. Fittingly, Mark does not toil in the shadows of the studios of Hollywood, but instead pursues his craft in a working class suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mark is a rather odd person, and thus he is a compelling character to anchor a documentary.

Mark does not have the luxury of being a fulltime filmmaker. He works menial odd jobs to scrape up enough money to keep his project going, and to occasionally have a beer with his friends. Mark's background is fleshed out through interviews with his family members and his friends. Hardly any character occupying significant screen time comes across as a "normal" person, and this gives the film a surreal tone. Particularly Mark's close friend, Mike Schank (whose original music appears in this film), seems like an exaggerated caricature. The surrealness gives the impression that this not an actual documentary, but a fictional mockumentary, where all the humor was actually scripted.

At the beginning of the story, Mark is working on a feature film, Northwestern, his master work. However, production must be halted due to a serious lack of funding. Mark's plan becomes to finish a short film, Coven, (which is also a work in progress) and use the proceeds from its sale to underwrite Northwestern. The problem of funding still remains for his work at hand, but Coven is fully written, and requires less money since it is only a short.

Since his minimum wage job(s) barely contribute anything, and since his parents are unwilling to give him more money than they already have, Mark turns to a miserly uncle, Bill, for funding. Although a cynic might assume that Mark treats his uncle well because of his money, it is clear from the footage of Mark's interaction with Bill that he truly cares for him. These are the most moving parts of the film. It is not often that one sees a deep intergenerational relationship in modern cinema (except perhaps for the relationship between a young child and an elder).

As the story progresses, Mark is able to shoot parts of his film whenever he has the resources. The story culminates in Mark's final composition of Coven and its first showing. Small parts of the film are shown, and it is striking to see how parts that were haphazardly filmed ended up being so vividly striking.

Ironically, the making of this film was an effort not unlike Mark's struggles. The budget was always an impediment, equipment broke, footage was lost, and many other obstacles were faced that were typical to an independent feature. The result here, unlike many projects that become overwhelmed by obstacles, is a coherent and successful film.

Recommended. Fans of independent film will enjoy this portrait of a quirky filmmaker. Non-fans of the genre will be entertained by this look at an odd individual. Although the narrative of the documentary lacks some smoothness, it is still a compelling story with highly interesting characters, and even some suspense in seeing whether the filmmaker achieves his goals.

    (c) 1999 Murali Krishnan
    The Art House Squatter
    http://ArtHouseSquatter.com

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