TRUE/FALSE FILM FESTIVAL – Day Three Report

I’m going to start this piece out by quoting the Roger Ebert quote that everyone quotes: “Bad movies are always too long, good movies are always too short just or right.” That’s a pretty good estimation of the day, even if nothing ever crossed over to the line into being outright bad. 

The day started out with Steve James’ new series (as in 255 minutes over 4 episodes), City So Real, another towering documentary from the director of Hoop Dreams. Here, James and collaborators focus their cameras on Chicago’s last mayoral race, a race that ended in the election of one Lori Lightfoot. What results is a political thriller of mundane intensity and a rich mood piece on the state of modern Chicago. For its staggering runtime, City So Real is so well-paced that it felt like it went by in about an hour. The mounting intensity of the race, combined with the drama of outside systems and stories makes for an ever-shifting focus which keeps the film snappy and entertaining. It never loses its humanity though. For example, the second episode, an escalating exercise in the on-going trial following the death of Laquan MacDonald (the one aspect of the edit that never quite gels) and a further introduction to candidates, suddenly ends with plaintive shots of the city. The audience is reminded that while the politicians may talk about politics in Chicago like it is an unstoppable doctrine, this is still happening to a city full of people. James has built a career on moments like this (I wouldn’t want to spoil a few) and here he’s still at the top of his game. 

The length of City So Real pretty much rid me of any chance to see anything else until 7 pm, so I paced around the city of Columbia trying out some of the food trucks and watching some students of the University of Missouri party on a balcony while blasting music over the street.

7 o’clock did eventually roll around though and I found myself seated for Elegance Bratton’s Pier Kids, named after the LGBTQ people of color that are the film’s subject. Pier Kids works every now and then but often falls prey to its own pacing. There’s an unfocused quality that isn’t necessarily bad, jarring can be a choice, but here it keeps the audience disconnected from the central drama of the piece. It’s a beautiful film about a beautiful time in its subjects’ lives but doesn’t hold together all the way through. 

The longest film of the day, though, falls to Mucho Mucho Amor. At 96 minutes it spans the life of Walter Marcado, a famous astrologist who captured the hearts and minds of both his Puerto Rican audience and audiences around the world. Walter was a beacon of light in the darkness. He was an endless pool of optimism, who can sell the idea of astrology simply because of his enthusiasm. His life was prime fodder for a documentary. While well-produced, Mucho Mucho Amor falls victim at points to languid pacing and generic choices. Have you seen a music doc (or film for that matter) where a wonderful artist rises to the top, is exploited, falls into despair, yet rises again into being appreciated? Then you’ve probably seen this film. There are moments of inspiration peppered through. The opening mystery narrative of, “Where did Walter Mercado go?” is a good device to get the story moving and nobody could take one look at Walter and think that he was boring. The film around him leaves a little to be desired.

Today’s crop of films felt less invigorating but provided a good showcase of the experience of watching films. Time compresses and expands and sometimes you’re reminded of the plaintive moments. True/False is a bit like that in the best way possible.