In this film the camera acts as an observer. Silently making its way through the group of men on this crazy weekend of beer guzzling and competition. We see entire scenes play out in front of the camera (probably more than one camera) and we, as the audience, watch - there is no voice-over or anything - just the dialog and action of these men. It was really a very risky choice on the part of the filmmaker. But it was an artistic experience. We were truly seeing a slice of life without any sensationalism or judgment. His camera just wanders from moment to moment, event to event and we watch, take it in and enjoy. Stylistically, Benny makes interesting use of Super8 film during one sequence (SPOILER) with the wives of the outdoorsmen. The wives seem on the one hand disconnected from what their husbands are doing, but at the same time, seem to support what they think is important to them. The Super8 footage serves as a view of what the wives might be imagining the event is like.
Benny must have used multiple cameras as well since we are given a very dramatic treatment to the dialog these men engage in. In fact, there are times when the camera is so close to them, and they appear so natural, that you get the feeling that they might be working off a script. But they are not. Its all real. This film does a lot with very little. In the theater I saw it in, the audience at times rolling in the aisle in laughter, and at other times, in total silence - as was the case in a scene where one of the outdoorsmen is trying to explain to another that he wants to go home. This film could have become very sensationalistic and reality-show-ish. But the film has restraint, and does not allow itself to turn these men into heroes nor villains. We as humans must watch and ask ourselves why we are impressed or repulsed by them. This to me, makes Benny's film an accomplishment and truly an artistic documentary.
Benny must have used multiple cameras as well since we are given a very dramatic treatment to the dialog these men engage in. In fact, there are times when the camera is so close to them, and they appear so natural, that you get the feeling that they might be working off a script. But they are not. Its all real. This film does a lot with very little. In the theater I saw it in, the audience at times rolling in the aisle in laughter, and at other times, in total silence - as was the case in a scene where one of the outdoorsmen is trying to explain to another that he wants to go home. This film could have become very sensationalistic and reality-show-ish. But the film has restraint, and does not allow itself to turn these men into heroes nor villains. We as humans must watch and ask ourselves why we are impressed or repulsed by them. This to me, makes Benny's film an accomplishment and truly an artistic documentary.
