“American Movie” is about
amateur horror filmmaker Mark Borchardt’s journey to film his first feature
film, “Northwestern.” Initially, Borchardt faces a challenge since he doesn’t
have the funds to make the film; he is unemployed and already in debt. Borchardt
puts his feature film dreams on hold and decides to finish a horror short he
had started filming in 1994, “Coven”. He thinks if he finishes this film and
sells 3,000 copies for $14.95 then he will finally be able to make his dream
movie. He first sets out to finance “Coven” and fortunately Borchardt receives $3,000
from his surprisingly wealthy, yet senile eighty-year-old uncle.
Director Chris Smith chronicles Borchardt’s endless efforts
to finish this 30-minute short. Though Borchardt is obviously very intelligent
he struggles to get things in order and suffers numerous setbacks, most likely
due to his personal shortcomings and most prominently alcoholism. Finally after
over two years, Borchardt wraps production on “Coven” and it premieres in a
local theater.
I
was extremely impressed with Borchardt. You could tell how much he loved filmmaking
so by the end you are rooting for him to actually complete something. In this cinema
verite piece Smith was able to tell Borchardt’s story through very little text.
He just let the story unfold with an undertone of humor. Borchardt’s friend
Mike was just generally funny so, he was a great addition to the film. He
reminded me of Leo from “The 70’s Show;” he alone was a trip. Personally, my
favorite parts of the film were when they were editing the film together. As an
amateur digital editor, I am so fascinated by how they would edit before
digital. It’s definitely a long tedious process. You have to be extremely
organized or you’ll lose frames, much like they did in the movie. Overall, I
enjoyed this film and its characters. It’s one documentary that really helps
you understand why your characters are so important when you’re making
documentaries.
