I watched Hands on a Hard Body the other day. 1997 documentary about a yearly competition at a car dealership in Texas where the contestants have to keep at least one hand on a truck for as long as possible. The last person touching the truck gets to take that truck home.
It’s hard to get a read on the filmmakers’ intentions in a way I found compelling. I mean, they’re definitely editing for comedy; lots of funny cuts from contestants bragging about how they’ll never lose to shots of them bowing out. There are a lot of goofy touches where I’m not sure whether they were being ironic – The talking head interviews are shot in front of a green screen of a giant splayed hand. They interview some random psychologist about the contest and this guy gives this overwrought, almost Herzogian monologue where he imagines the contestants reaching a moment of transcendence through their connection with each other and the truck. It’s all very silly, but you can also feel a bit of desperation in some of these contestants. The film doesn’t seem interested in interrogating that, but I suppose that would take away from the breezy comedic tone that makes it so eminently watchable.
Some great characters here. I loved the guy they chose as their ‘lead’, a previous contestant winner who’s returned for round 2. He gives all these cod philosophical monologues about the contest and dispenses a lot of somewhat helpful endurance advice to the other contestants. He’s so charismatic in such a silly way.
watched in chris marker’s atelier (2011) while laying down and drinking some delicious coffee.
it is so interesting how the short is just a vlog, like stylistically its just what it is – agnes varda’s vlog where she visits her old friend’s messy house. it is also a second-life gameplay video!
reminds me there’s still a handful of marker’s movies i need to see . . .
just learned about the recent death of alexader kluge. i’ve always been interested in the new wave of german cinema, but i never sat down to watch any of kluge’s movies, of which many were documentaries for both TV and theater.
“the candidate”, “war and peace” and his super ambitious attempt at finishing sergei eisenstein’s film adaptation of marx’s capital (“news from ideological antiquity”) are some of his docs that have been in my to-watch list since forever. need to get on that
Always find accounts of fan conventions from before I was born to be really insightful about the broader cultural differences of that time, particularly in how people seemed to be so much more shy about it/worried others might think they’re mentally ill because of it when compared to the current moment where it feels more unusual to find another person who isn’t part of some kind of niche online community or special interest group
The irony of everybody insisting that they see themselves as rebels or individuals while cosplaying as residents of The Village is pretty funny
Also laughing at the guy who insists he sees no deeper meaning to the series… while dressed as no. 2… his favourite character. Feel like you can catch small glimpses of a quiet rage building as his wife continues to probe him on why he’s so into it all… lol
every time I wear my prisoner sweatshirt at least one person has to talk about it or say be seeing you or something I love prisoner fans
I don’t think it’s ironic to cosplay as a villager the fact that you’re aware of the village makes them an individual in their minds. in the same way it’s not ironic to do power play intimately and say you’ve got free will
there’s another really good prisoner doc where the blonde number 2 with the glasses goes on and on about how much he hates patrick mcgoohan which is fuckin hilarious because he’s the number two that gets the most owned and destroyed. it’s not the one I linked though I’m still looking
Fair point as well about the cosplayers, I just thought it was a funny visual (bunch of people describing themselves as individuals while all dressed the same…) haha
Another strong recommendation. Particularly nostalgic for me as a child in this era of Seattle. But really depressing. This is the best archival documentary I have ever seen, at least on the level of editing and the quality of its footage.
I watched this one during sociology class in high school. this and isle of flowers are (were?) definitely staples of docs to play in class if you’re a certain type of lefty teacher in brazil haha
