Roger, Popeye and me

Movies make people crazy. I have seen proof of this on several occasions. In fact, I have been in that vainglorious position myself. So be forewarned and hope that a moment of truth will bring you back to your senses before it is too late.

MUSIC BY PRUDENCE won the Oscar for best documentary short of 2009. During the award's ceremony, the director Roger Ross Williams, was cut off during his acceptance speech by a crazy, loud mouth woman in a purple kaftan (yes, folks a kaftan). We later find out that the "crazy" is the producer who had been "fired" from the film under the director's request to HBO because she was harassing the editors while they were working. She took revenge in the ballsiest of manners by literally upstaging the director on camera during his few live minutes of Oscar acceptance. Roger was about to show his gratitude to his staff and the subjects of his documentary, when this wild eyed woman literally shoved him out of the way and began to rant. Prudence, the star of the documentary, was in the audience and got to witness this foolishness with the academy audience and millions of TV viewers. Why did this woman, Elinor Burkett, think this was ok? Because she went crazy!

Now months later, I am sitting at the Ashland Film Festival with Roger and another star, Popeye, of a co-nominated film from the same category of short documentaries. Popeye is a laid-off toolmaker and one of the narrative subjects of the Oscar nominated film, THE LAST TRUCK: CLOSING OF A GM PLANT.

Popeye and Roger, while traveling for their film's promotion, have had time to go over this phenomenon of movie making. By now they are a team, Popeye supports the trauma of Roger's misplaced acceptance speech and fills in the details of the betrayal he saw first-hand at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Roger has nothing but empathy for the plight of this laid off worker and his co-workers at the GM plant in Michigan. They know each other's story by heart. This is a crazy kind of love and it is a wonderful thing to experience.

As witnessed by Popeye, Roger's octogenarian mom, was apparently sticking up for her boy. "I saw your 84 year old mother throw down her cane to that woman and block her", Popeye interjects as Roger tells his tale for the ten thousandth time to me (and I am sure anyone who would listen). This is movie therapy. The backstage re-enactment of post-traumatic stress. That "crazy woman" done him wrong -- a noir in real life.

So when I mentioned to Roger that people go crazy around movies, his eyes lit up with recognition, "Yes, it is true". So take heed, budding film-makers, there is always one crazy in the bunch -- just learn to see them coming and be prepared.