SLIFF 2010 Review: THE BATTLE OF PUSSY WILLOW CREEK

Ever since Rob Reiner unleashed THIS IS SPINAL TAP on the masses in 1984, the mockumentary has become a trendy and growing genre for filmmakers, especially those of the independent persuasion. The idea of making a documentary that’s a complete and utter lie,  while taking itself seriously with the intent of drawing laughter… well, it’s perhaps the best thing to happen to comedy in recent history.

THE BATTLE OF PUSSY WILLOW CREEK is a faux documentary written and directed by Wendy Jo Cohen. The film recounts the fictional lives of four forgotten Civil War heroes; an opium-addicted gay colonel, an elderly Chinese immigrant, a nerdy escaped slave, and a one-armed teenaged prostitute.

Constructed in the style of Ken Burns’ [enter title here] documentary, THE BATTLE OF PUSSY WILLOW CREEK nails the trademarks of the traditional non-fiction film, and in this way, succeeds as a parody of the cinematic genre. However, as a comedy driven by the need to summon laughter, it failed to deliver even a single chuckle.

While my opinion of the film thus far may sound terribly devastating, I offer this…

THE BATTLE OF PUSSY WILLOW CREEK is not a failure. While I can’t imagine many people laughing out loud, the film does serve as a socio-political satire that conjures up an uncomfortable experience. The filmmaker takes the respectable documentary form, mocks it completely and asks us to laugh, but does so in a way that delivers it’s own message, making laughter seem inappropriate. On some minor level, it plays like an episode of IN LIVING COLOR.

The details, stories and characters are far to absurd to be taken seriously. However, without these characters being given any cinematic life on screen, limited to photographs and voice over narrations, the humor is lost in monotony. The occasional staged interviews with experts and historians serves mostly to break up the monotony of the still images, but offers little in the way of effective humor.

I really, really wanted to love THE BATTLE OF PUSSY WILLOW CREEK. I tried, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to appreciate the film for what it meant to be, or at least what I interpreted it to have meant to be. If nothing else, this is a valiant and bold experiment in mockumentary filmmaking, so I give the filmmakers due credit for stepping out and taking a chance.

THE BATTLE OF PUSSY WILLOW CREEK will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival on Saturday, November 13th at 2:00 pm at the Tivoli Theatre.