My second documentary in a row where the film makers play with the genre conventions, and once again, this angle doesn't work.
Elan and Jonathan Bogarin's grandmother has just passed away at the age of 93, and their family is tasked with going through the house to get it ready to sell. The siblings, being incredibly weird, decide to get to know their beloved family member better by going through her possessions and cataloging them, analyzing why she or her late husband held onto innocuous items as band-aid dispensers, false teeth, and new toothbrushs.
Unfortunately, the Bogarins' efforts to put a positive, "fun" spin on the house clean-out backfires. They stage dance numbers, overanalyze their own emotions at the loss (which seems to mostly be detachment), and even humiliate the poor old woman. Grandma was a fashion designer, and they show video of her stripped to her underwear as they try to get her into one of her dresses. This isn't an episode of "Hoarders," but the Bogarins make the loss of Grandma about them, instead of celebrating the woman's life. Losing a loved one is something we can all associate with (as I wrote this, my father was in hospice and the family was in an uproar), but I felt the siblings weren't facing the cold hard truth of grief and loss, and instead they deal with it by keeping it at a distance, while quirking up the screen.
I wanted to like this film, and admire the Bogarins' bravery, but by the end, I was annoyed. Save the wacky, cold detachment for your thesis mumblecore screenplay. It's okay to love and miss your grandma.
Stats:
-Directed by Elan Bogarin and Jonathan Bogarin
-Written by Elan Bogarin, Jonathan Bogarin, Nyneve Laura Minnear
-Cast: Elan Bogarin, Jonathan Bogarin
-Media: Streaming on Amazon Prime
-Running Time: 94 minutes
-Rating: (* */* * * * *)
-Unrated, contains profanity, some sexual references, some adult situations
