Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control
1997
Directed by Errol Morris
This is a break from my recent trend of hidden movies on the List, as I was saving it to watch with a non Lister. Namely, my boyfriend, who is also an Errol Morris fan. Well, he didn't like it so much, and my pristine record of recommending films he'll like has been marred.
With no clear connection, Morris showcases four men who are very passionate about their jobs. We've got David Hoover, a lion tamer, who discusses the dangers of the cage, rather than the rampant animal abuse going on around him.. George Mendonca, a topiary gardener at Green Animals Topiary Garden. Ray Mendez is a naked mole rat expert, and shares many disgusting facts about the creatures. Then there is Rodney Brooks , a MIT scientist who designs bug like robots that look like the androids they turned to scrap metal in A.I.
I pointed out that since naked mole rats roll around in each other's feces to acquire the same odor, then that means if a naked mole rat ate you, all if its friends would be spinning in your remains. That's when my boyfriend began to express disappointment in the direction the evening had gone.
I guess it was an idea of Morris' to have a documentary with multiple subjects where the connection between the subjects is unclear. I guess the idea began to form by the end, but I think he wore out the patience of the audience by then. I thought it was really messy how he kept ping-ponging us between interviewees.
But this was his early work, and I think he has much improved since then.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Morris used a technique he invented which allows the interview subject to maintain eye contact with the interviewer while looking directly in the camera.
