Ghostbox Cowboy

This film caught me by utter surprise with its sophisticated critique of 21st-century trade relations, its razor-sharp commentary on capitalist globalization, its caustic and bleak humor, and its excellent pacing. The films takes us on a journey alongside an utterly clueless middle-aged protagonist from his moment of inspiration in a Texas dollar store )where he's dressed like a goofy millenial "bro," Affliction t-shirt and all), to his misadventures selling bootleg segways, to his ultimate destination in the "Inner Mongolian Blank Region" -- the under-construction megacity of Ordos, a sort of inverted version of the land our "cowboy" sought to escape. The film brilliantly explores the absurdities of the symbiotic relationship between a past-its-prime US and a rising "New China" without for a single moment retreating into lame explication, preachiness, or other sanctimonies. Every character is memorable, from "the Specialist" to the foul-mouthed scooter salesman, and the documentary style makes the film feel as real as anything without stretching credulity -- even when it makes a "Sorry To Bother You"-style turn into the realm of the absurd. This is one of the best U.S. indies I've seen in years, and deserves cult status!

P.S. I felt obligated to leave a good review of this film considering the poor user ratings (5.5 at the time that this was written) and dearth of buzz it seems to have received from mainstream audiences.