Confessions of a Superhero

 

Story:

On Hollywood Boulevard, wannabe stars dress up as superheroes and pose for photos with tourists. Matt Ogens’ documentary follows four dreamers who are just killing time until they're discovered. Get to know a Superman who takes the role a bit too seriously, an Incredible Hulk who sold his prized video game system for a bus ticket to Tinseltown, a Midwestern beauty queen turned Wonder Woman and a Batman in need of anger management therapy (NetFlix).

Review:

Watching Confessions of a Superhero was like watching the love child of Morgan Spurlock and Errol Morris, combining quirkiness and humor with a keen eye for the subtexts and layers beneath the surface situations.  It might sound like a weird mix to combine the traits of a director who ate nothing but McDonald's for a month with the qualities of director who turned a pet cemetery into one of the most beautiful stories ever told, but the fact that's exactly what director Matthew Ogens does with this story of superhero panhandlers.

Probably the best and most rewarding aspects of the film are the ways Ogens chooses to hold shots, paying special attention to the facial expressions these actors portray when they are finished playing their roles.  Similarly, he interweaves detailed (albeit posed) pictures of his characters throughout their stories, adding a certain Annie Leibovitz quality to an already heavily layered film. 

I'm truly impressed with how this film was handled.  Most directors would play this film off in a goofy way, making the characters mere caricatures, or at most would push their desire to become professional actors as the driving force of the documentary.  But (director) chooses to walk a path few have taken: he lets the quirkiness and absurdity of these characters loose, while he tracks the more substansive depth of these people's hopes, dreams, strengths and faults.  Trust me, first you’ll laugh, then you’ll sympathize, not long after, you’ll be empathizing with the men and women on screen who battle the same insecurities we all face.  After all, who doesn’t strive to be the superhero in their own lives only to realize they are nothing more than panhandling masquerades.

Ok, that’s a little depressing, and the film refuses to end on a negative note.  If anything it’s inspiring, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get dragged through the muck a little.  By the end though, you’ll find yourself pleasantly back where you started, laughing whole-heartedly along with the characters.  Ogens aims to take you on a soul searching journey, and its worth every second to go along with him.

Reviewed by Matthew Abshire for Documentary Film Online on May 12, 2008

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