Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, September 3: THE REP
Morgan White’s look at the challenges of running a repertory cinema had its debut at last year’s Austin Film Festival. The doc has also screened at Kansas City’s Middle of the Map, Estonia’s Tartu Indiefest, and at rep theatres throughout Canada and the US, as well as special engagements in Germany and the UK. FilmBuff releases the film on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, XBOX, Sony Playstation, Cinemanow and Vudu.
In a time of virtually unlimited home entertainment options, a struggling economy, and the phasing out of 35mm, the idea of starting a single-screen repertory cinema might not be the brightest move. Friends and business partners Charlie, Nigel, and Alex, however, do just that, taking on the seemingly Sisyphean task of opening the Toronto Underground Cinema, a long-abandoned screen located in the basement of an office building. Beyond the challenges of its location and lack of signage, the three are basically learning as they go along – and making a lot of mistakes. Initially conservative in their expectations, they get swept up in the unexpected success of their launch event, but fail to capitalize on the awareness generated by not having the rest of their initial programming set, resulting in a disastrously low turnout for regular business. White follows them as they try to course correct over their fledgling first year, when the stress of impending failure is exacerbated by interpersonal conflict, the inability to pay salaries and bills on time, and an audience seemingly uninterested in the kind of programming they want to offer – with the exception of a one-off Adam West BATMAN screening that comes off like gangbusters, despite last-minute behind-the-scenes chaos. What these three might lack in business chops they more than make up for in the love of the cinema going experience, something echoed by a string of interviewees representing film theatres around Canada and the US – including Bruce Goldstein from NYC’s Film Forum, Lars Nilson from Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse, and Mike Torgan of LA’s New Beverly Cinema, among others – and filmmakers John Waters, Kevin Smith, George Romero, and Atom Egoyan. The Underground’s partners make for appealing underdog protagonists, but White is wise to open up his film to include these other voices, universalizing the dilemmas they face and taking them out of a strictly Canadian context. While the doc has a rough-hewn look to it, it matches the scrappiness of the subject matter, underscoring just how challenging this endeavor actually is. The heartfelt ending, accompanied by images of the fates of several rep houses around the US and Canada, provides a sobering, but not unexpected, wrap to the story of the Underground.
what (not) to doc 