This week I am reviewing Chris Smith’s 1999 documentary American Movie. I will preface this by telling you that this isn’t only my favorite doc ever, but my favorite film ever. Meet Mark Borchardt, an intense and passionate independent horror filmmaker from Milwaukee, who is chasing his American dream. As Mark scrapes together his assets to craft a witchy film called Coven, we meet a menagerie of dreamers and enablers that provide the documentary with much of its charm. After years of rewatching this film, I initially loved laughing at Mark and his friends but as I lived the hardships that come with adulthood, I grew sympathetic to Mark and his madness that is his artistic drive. This film works on many levels, it speaks to the delusional dreamer in all of us. A must-see independent classic.
