Adolescence and transgression

This is a fascinating full length documentary about the infamous Norwegian black metal scene, which, beside the actual music, is a scene of church burnings, suicide, murder and prison sentences. What fascinates me most about all this is what can happen to a person during adolescence, this window of time in a person's development where he or she is not quite a child and not quite an adult, but still has the characteristics and abilities of both, and the possibilities to take life into any of millions of radical and transgressive directions.

For most people, this is a 'phase' that runs its course and then they enter the 'normality' of adult conformity. But some people stay there, way into their teens, their twenties, sometimes their whole life. I am fascinated by these people. These are the people who have the potential to become great artists -- or, just as easily, cult leaders, conspiracy theorists and mass murderers.

At the moment I kind of see adolescence as the transgressive and 'magical' (for better or worse) period in one's development where all windows and possibilities are open, when values are questioned and new values formed, when everything is possible and anything can happen. It is what drove two adolescent girls (portrayed in Peter Jackson's wonderful 1994 docudrama Heavenly Creatures) to both experience the most magical aspects of life but also to commit the horrible crime they did. I also think it is what transforms some well-off, well-bred Norwegian boys into what they become, as shown in this documentary.

Or maybe I'm just full of it. In any case, if you have the 90 minutes, this is an interesting documentary to watch.

via Coilhouse.

Victorian Infographics

Ah, the beauty! This warms my heart and makes me happy. :) Victorian Infographics on BibliOdyssey.





(Via BoingBoing)

American Movie

Here's an interesting documentary for you, if you have an hour and a half to spare. "American Movie" (1999) chronicles the aspiring American filmmaker Mark Borchardt in the mid-90s as he's trying to shoot and complete his horror short "Coven".



This doc has apparently become quite the cult movie, and it's easy to see why. Like Tim Burton's Ed Wood, it balances a fine line between inspirational optimism and tragic comedy, some of the scenes rivalling the hilarity of mockumentary comedies such as This is Spinal Tap and The Office. Only this isn't a scripted mockumentary, it's the real deal, so you're not sure whether to laugh or cry...

Like Ed Wood, the film conveys a mixed bag of passion, inspiration, the triumph of the will to create over defeating circumstances, humour, tragedy, alcoholism, degradation and depressing hopelessness. All in all, it's an interesting look at working class (bordering on 'white trash') America, and its relation to the American dream.

(Via Coilhoise)

Kuchar documentary

They made a new docu about the Kuchar brothers, the famous independent filmmakers that I, to be honest, know way to little about. According to my source who usually has a very trustworthy opinion, it is a hilarious heartwarming documentary that fans of the brothers by no means should miss. I'm going after it in the shady torrent world because it raised my interest. I'll finally watch the clips Marcus has given me long ago, and maybe I'll dedicate another post to it to share my Kuchnar experience.

If I can find the docu, we should watch it together, Marcus and Jenny! (and Anton ofcourse! Next time around. Soon?)