Monrovia, Indiana

The documentary was cute and artsy but continues on for so long without much direction. Were it to delve more into some specifics of personal life in much less time, it may be more interesting, but the amount of time where absolutely nothing consequential is going on in the movie is mind numbing.

Here's an inside look at the workings of a town in the U. S. heartland. We see the people of Monrovia at their feedlots, corn fields, municipal hearings, schools and places of worship - a great panorama of life in this good place. Some Midwestern stereotypes are knocked down here, not on purpose but as revealed by the responsible way these people act. As a viewer I thank the people of Monrovia - and it's an impressive cross-section of people - for granting access to so much of what matters in this community. There is a bit of self-deprecation, people of Monrovia acknowledging they live in a small town. But in fact it's a big place, in civic spirit and caring for others.

Very weird seeing a documentary about a small town 15 minutes from where I live, and that I've spent a decent chunk of time in. Seeing it from an outsider's perspective was different, and seeing all of these roads I've driven on through a camera lens was an odd experience. Honestly surprised the director found enough content in Monrovia to make an almost two and a half hour movie out of, considering I can drive across town in twenty seconds. Still cool, though, never knew this documentary existed. I always like documentaries that show an unfiltered glimpse into the life of others, and this was no different, even though the life it showed was basically the same as the one I live.

Although Monrovia is a boring small town in mid west I'm sure some people there have interesting things to say or have deep inner lives but Wiseman didn't reach this and so this was the most boring film I've seen in ages.

For the record, I arrived 5-10 minutes late.

This documentary provides a well seamed collection of examples of everyday life in a place I've never heard about. History of their sports teams, debates over investing in new residential housing vs new businesses (the newest neighborhood is where the majority of their volunteer firefighters and people who returned to Monrovia reside), freemasons ceremony, WTH is up with the newest neighborhood's fire hydrants, barbershop, hair salon, fitness class, a funeral, etc. Monrovia, Indiana does well at what it intends. This would be an interesting documentary to discuss academically.

Side Note: I did lose my interest at times, but that's a matter of personal taste. Some topics just didn't interest me. The director did a pretty decent job with editing. I give that a B.