Another unearthed in my odd Finnish oddities odyssey; although in this one, perhaps not so much unearthed as 'discovered / located' as the vehicle that we're thrown into being fixed up / rescued has itself already been, as also already being worked on by a trio of itinerant (it seems) mechanics in arms (up to their - in grease and oil throughout, it seems) ..
which is my criticism of an otherwise engrossingly made 'hot doc'*, as there is little intro into how this guy's own odyssey began, yet in being a documentary, then the fly on the wall (around the ancient truck cab / in the re-purposed old Airstream caravan) is really remarkable: astonishingly so close up into the various protagonists at times, that you are left to wonder, is this really documentary recording, or rather an extremely cleverly, subtly directed conceit? **
Besides the obvious gorgeous scenery in latter half of the film - and in which makes you long for a companion 'making of' as to how they got all those shots of the truck lonelily trucking along the highways, if it was going a barely 60 70 kmh! - there are some wonderful contextual shots throughout. E.g. was the dog deliberately added in, or just serendipitously available to be almost as like a silent narrator to the folly of the pursuits developments?
Yet, if indeed all genuine, it is also uplifting as to the help passing strangers can offer, and especially so from the elder generation, and that for men in particular when old rusting vehicles are involved, seems to instantly release some sort of deep atavistic bonding source for all men!
Whichever, this is a fabulous intrusive recording of one man's folly 'triumph' - which leads to my main criticism: is that having been invested with Hesse for so long, we are not really given any closure on whether he clearly did achieve his objective - as though the documentary maker tired of his subject.
But if also seeing former glory old vehicles, forlornly rusting away in their own graveyards - one rescued / re-purposed for re-use, does it for you, this is beguiling: (and it's really remarkable how these sprawling vehicle junk yards seem so prevalent to the the big open spaces of the US.)
* This was the festival at which it was first premiered
** On my DVD, there was no 'making of' which for such a cleverly done doc should essentially have - if only to allay these suspicions: N.B. there is about 30 mins extras deleted scenes though, which are informative.
which is my criticism of an otherwise engrossingly made 'hot doc'*, as there is little intro into how this guy's own odyssey began, yet in being a documentary, then the fly on the wall (around the ancient truck cab / in the re-purposed old Airstream caravan) is really remarkable: astonishingly so close up into the various protagonists at times, that you are left to wonder, is this really documentary recording, or rather an extremely cleverly, subtly directed conceit? **
Besides the obvious gorgeous scenery in latter half of the film - and in which makes you long for a companion 'making of' as to how they got all those shots of the truck lonelily trucking along the highways, if it was going a barely 60 70 kmh! - there are some wonderful contextual shots throughout. E.g. was the dog deliberately added in, or just serendipitously available to be almost as like a silent narrator to the folly of the pursuits developments?
- WARNING PLOT DEVELOPMENT SPOILER - In fact, some developments so doc-maker fortuitous that it makes you wonder if this really was just a recording of genuine events. (E.g. when finally left on his own, main guy Hesse causes his cherished (Aerosmith 'Pump' album era like) cab truck engine to oh so dramatically explode into fire (this is in the trailer, so not completely a plot spoiler!); but not only that, but this even happens only just off to the side of a gas station, at that, too! Scripted or yet more mere 'hot-doc' maker serendipity?
Yet, if indeed all genuine, it is also uplifting as to the help passing strangers can offer, and especially so from the elder generation, and that for men in particular when old rusting vehicles are involved, seems to instantly release some sort of deep atavistic bonding source for all men!
Whichever, this is a fabulous intrusive recording of one man's folly 'triumph' - which leads to my main criticism: is that having been invested with Hesse for so long, we are not really given any closure on whether he clearly did achieve his objective - as though the documentary maker tired of his subject.
But if also seeing former glory old vehicles, forlornly rusting away in their own graveyards - one rescued / re-purposed for re-use, does it for you, this is beguiling: (and it's really remarkable how these sprawling vehicle junk yards seem so prevalent to the the big open spaces of the US.)
* This was the festival at which it was first premiered
** On my DVD, there was no 'making of' which for such a cleverly done doc should essentially have - if only to allay these suspicions: N.B. there is about 30 mins extras deleted scenes though, which are informative.
