At this point of my movie-watching career, documentaries are pretty much all I watch. Still, I was blown away by the raw emotion on screen during "Loot." The film focuses on a modern-day treasure hunter named Lance who works with two separate World War II veterans to try to figure out where exactly they buried their specific treasure some 60 years ago.
In many ways, this film embodies the best of documentary film-making. The camera captures all the action from start to finish, and brings the viewer in during the most critical parts of their adventure. Because the film-maker starts filming at the beginning of the story, he has no idea how the story will turn out - whether it will be a glorious story of 60 year old recollections materializing in the find of a lifetime, or whether it will be a sad tale of lost memories and questionable recollections. The uncertainty of everything makes this film so enjoyable to watch.
And then there are the veterans. While previous commentators have questioned their sanity, I saw nothing but raw human emotion and character. To me, these two men seemed to be eminently truthful and real - while there memories were certainly dusty, they seemed to really believe what they were saying. In the end of the film, the viewer has really grown attached to the men at hand, making the final scenes even more emotional.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable tale.
In many ways, this film embodies the best of documentary film-making. The camera captures all the action from start to finish, and brings the viewer in during the most critical parts of their adventure. Because the film-maker starts filming at the beginning of the story, he has no idea how the story will turn out - whether it will be a glorious story of 60 year old recollections materializing in the find of a lifetime, or whether it will be a sad tale of lost memories and questionable recollections. The uncertainty of everything makes this film so enjoyable to watch.
And then there are the veterans. While previous commentators have questioned their sanity, I saw nothing but raw human emotion and character. To me, these two men seemed to be eminently truthful and real - while there memories were certainly dusty, they seemed to really believe what they were saying. In the end of the film, the viewer has really grown attached to the men at hand, making the final scenes even more emotional.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable tale.