The Movie Man

The Movie Man is one of those "looking over the shoulder to see what the main subject of the documentary is doing" films. In that sense it is not focused or disciplined. The personality is the owner of Kinmont Theater, Keith Stata - a congenial and likable person who has been running his theater for, some forty odd years. The theater is a one of a kind attraction in Ontario, Canada. You not only get a random tour of the six-plex, but also get introduced to his many cats with their feeding time. In a disjointed style the film shows his history, the towns history and the building of the cinema. The narration is all Stata. In this sense, you get a complete personal introduction to Stata's personality and the theater. The film provides for his legacy to those who may be interested - which may have been the point. In Stata's defense, he is not a documentarian and the film seems to cover all the salient points of his life and his theater.

Kinmount Ontario is about halfway between Ontario and..... uh, Mississauga. There used to be a couple of mills there, but they went away a long time ago. Nowadays there are about 300 people living there. An aerial view shows about half a dozen commercial buildings downtown. There's also a five-screen movie theater, run by Keith Stata. It's open about five months a year. This movie is about Stata, the theater, the large but ever-increasing number of cats he takes care of (the latest count is 58), and how he dealt with the Covid-19 plague.

Like most of us, not very well. Efforts by the film makers to make of Stata an interesting figure, or perhaps an Everyman to to represent all of us don't really work. He remains, at the end, a fairly typical man in his 70s. Like most of us, he has some crotchets, one or two things that make him odd, and the usual assortment of aches and pains that don't go away like they did when we were fifty years younger. His neighbors and theater patrons say very nice things about him. They are Canadian. His employees do the typical things employees do when asked about their boss. They are also Canadian.

I suppose this movie is intended not just as a portrait of Stata, but of the state of the movie exhibition business. It's well made, but not terribly engrossing.

The Movie Man is a gem of a documentary-quiet, humble, and full of heart. It tells the story of Keith Stata, a man who, from childhood, dreamed of making films but never left his small Canadian hometown of Kinmount. Instead, he built a cinema there-and kept it alive for over four decades.

The film captures Keith's journey from making short films with friends as a boy, to working as a builder and then to creating his own cinema-one that has defied the odds. While cinemas around him shut down, Keith's remained open and even expanded. He salvaged hundreds of old projectors, rescued reels of film that would have been thrown away, and turned his cinema into a living trove of movie history.

What makes this film so special is its unfiltered honesty. Nothing is staged or polished. Keith swears like a trooper, and it's very, very funny. His natural charisma, his independence, and his love for cinema shine through every frame. Watching this is like sitting down with the man for a long chat-you're not watching a performance, you're spending time with someone real.

There are stunning moments shot in the deep Canadian winter-bears, raccoons, and skunks wandering through snow, all adding to the feeling that you're seeing a full and lived-in world. And let's not forget his trove of cats. It's not just Keith we see-it's how others respond to him. At the local fair, we watch people light up when they meet him. There's deep, heartfelt respect for a man who stayed, struggled, and built something lasting.

This documentary isn't just about film-it's about dedication, place, and the value of a life well lived. It's full of one-liners about life that you'll want to write down. It reflects on COVID, the closures, the loneliness-and finally, the return.

Hats off to the director and producers, who have made something so grounded, so touching, and so enduring. In just 90 minutes, we are offered a full and meaningful look at over 75 years of a man's life, his love of movies, and the people who've loved him back.

A wonderful achievement-and a wonderful life. I watched this film on Kanopy.