American Movie: The Making Of Northwestern

Year: 1999

Grade: A+

Country: USA

Director: Smith

Review

still a great documentary, but it’s been a while since i’ve seen it. this time around a saw a lot of elements from “it’s a wonderful life” – a good guy surrounding by incompetence who’s just trying to make it in life. there’s such a sense of regret from mark and he’s such a tragic character. his battle with the bottle as well as his own ideas about how life should be lived vs. how most people choose to live it. this is a great story of a middle american going through life. the ending is as perfect as you’ll see. uncle bill, out of nowhere, starts talking in some sort of poem and the camera is there to capture it. no one interrupts his ramblings (and that’s what they are), but they have a tinge of regret and seem to express unrealistic expectations that we all place on ourselves when we think about life. a really great film.