"Lost Book Found"

I also use to dis personal documentary as a form beofre being reminded of this film. I still critcize personal documentary since I still see a lot of indulgent student films that are more confessional than truly personal. "Lost Book Found" has an aesthetic design and a detail oriented poetry that universalizes the personal, so for that alone I think every film student should see it.

I'm interested in your idea of personal documentary being "more confessional than truly personal." Can you explain that a bit more? Do you mean a self-indulgent catharsis by means of a video camera as some type of priest? Caveh Zahedi and Ross McElwee are leaping to mind, and while I can see this type of thing being leveled against them, I don't think the criticism holds. Please explain.

I've just had the experience of meeting people who were making personal documentaries primarily because they wanted to tell the story of current events in their lives, hence existing as simply confessional. I just think the resulting film will not be very interesting if one isn't pursuing some sort of aesthetic/formal purpose/design as well.

George Kuchar's video diaries exist as my favorite works of his. He uses a fairly low grade consumer vhs camcorder to its highest capability, revealing that he has a great documentarian eye by the on the fly details he chooses to focus on and the editing rhythms usually feel very fluid and precise.
I usually become frustrated in general if a filmmaker displays no awareness of language, which is why I don't expect that I will enjoy "Super-Size Me" from what I've heard.

I don't know how effective this would be for me if I didn't have that direct experience of what it is documenting, though.

I was just thinking the opposite--would this film be as effective if I lived in the city. I've only been to NYC once, for a few hours as a kid. I think one of the powers of this film for me is that it fills in the "underground" mystique of New York, its schizophrenic, under-the-subways, in the wrong part of town side, somthing I just didn't get from Woody Allen films.

Also, the idea of the "myth" of the city, the city as a chaotic puzzle that can be ordered appealed to me mainly because I have only a passing experience with city life.

More than anything, I love the formalistic techniques in this film. The slow shutter and film speed is very effective for drawing close attention to people and objects, especially faces and expressions that normally would not be noticed.

I agree with what herbert hebert was saying about needing a cinematic "language" to go with one's story. However, I don't think I agree with "confessional" filmmaking being a bad thing in and of itself. I think "Sherman's March", "In The Bathtub of the World" (actually, anything by Zahedi), and "Lost Book Found" to all be examples of "confessional" docs (in one way or another) that have been highly engaging films. However, the films will fail without a uniqueness of experience and form. Plus, the narrator has to be completely open and honest with the viewer, or at least give a pretty damn good perception that he/she is.

I agree that it was well shot to show these details, although I don't know the technical side to it.

"Lost Book Found" was edited from over ten years of footage. Jem Cohen would carry a Super 8 camera with him at all times & shoot whatever caught his eye. It's such a departure from the standard contrivances of filmmaking (get the actors together, set up the lights, take one, take two, etc.), and it's an incredibly liberating way to work. Cohen has had a huge influence on my philosophy toward making my own films.

Really? Hunh. The few things I saw which indicated a time implied early 90s, but if I were older perhaps I would have recognized some older things. Most of it felt timeless -- you could still see much of that today (it might be a bit harder to find, though).

There was a recent Found submission from the town I live in--Burlington, VT. Some note about pills or something.

A total rip considering what it really is. But so it goes - I like to sometimes buy underground stuff on a whim, so you gotta accept the risk you'll run into this.