Dave Gorman In America Unchained DVD review
February 10, 2008 – 7:25 pm | by PeekayThere are some people who you just want to add to some sort of watch-list where you are kept informed of everything they do – Dave Gorman would be on my list. He is so good at teasing out the strange and beautifully mundane and fitting it into some absurd plan or challenge that I find it’s impossible not to like him and his work.
And this documentary is no exception. It’s probably the straightest thing that Gorman has done, mainly because it’s got a reason behind his campaign – to travel across the USA, coast to coast, without giving any money to “the man” – the anondyne, corporate America. He is looking for the independents, the mom and pop stores, the fast disappearing America.
Of course, with Gorman, things are never that easy. A three to four week journey with one companion turns into an eight week odyssey, with the companion being switched half-way through. The second-hand 1970s Ford Torino they buy to make the journey looks the part, but turns out to not really be up to the job, and becomes a focus for the entire documentary.
This is probably where things fall down for me – I love it when Gorman is interacting with people, and we see his enthusiasm. But while we get a certain amount of that, admittedly mostly because of car-related problems bringing them into contact with small-town businesses, there isn’t enough. We learn more about the car problems than we do about why Gorman feels it necessary to do this journey now, or why the things he is looking for are disappearing.
Documentaries are still big business, since 2002′s “Bowling for Columbine” they have been a much more respected cinema/DVD release. This is a worthwhile entry into that collection, but maybe he needs to learn a little more from Michael Moore.
DVD released 11th February 2008 by 4DVD. A book, from Ebury Press, is due in April.
