Garage People

We might all dream of growing old in a warm house, surrounded by loving families. But old, poor, unloved men have to go somewhere; and can be found the world over in sheds, allotment, or garages. The line between lovable eccentric and social failure may be a thin one. And 'Garage People' takes a tale of such folk with the added edge of being set in a town in the Russian arctic, a slowly dying industrial outpost (although oddly, the participants never appear that cold). The problem with this collection of oddball stories is that it's mostly just sad; indeed, several of the participatns are reported to have died since its filming, from old age, alocholism, or pollution. What we never learn is whether the people we see are social outcasts or typical of the world they inhabit; their lives without are shown mostly without context. A little more narrative would not have gone amiss.

This is an amazing view of a world we never see. The people involved are amazing. They have such tough lives but they face into it with such dignity. Russians are very funny. Very dark humour which is in the face of such bleakness. Brutal and hard lives. God bless everyone involved, great tough people.

When watching Garage People I was initially unsure whether it was a real or mock documentary, such was the high level of its production.

It is a touching and illuminating documentary, skillfully shot and edited, that examines the lives of a diverse group of Russians at various stages of their lives or careers. The core themes are aspiration, certainty and belonging and these subjects are examined through the experiences of several diverse subjects.

The people featured in Garage People range from a towns youth to those in middle age or are nearing retirement. The featured youth focus on their dreams, whether they involves popular success or simply just finding a stable life. In all cases the are being drawn towards a verdict that says any hope they have for a future lies far beyond the artic town the have come of age in. Similarly the documentaries older subjects are coming to terms with the next stage of their own futures, whether the focus is on illness, love or fulfillment.

Garage People is a amazing documentary, one that fleshes out the tremendous complexity and diversity of ordinary lives, and does so in a way that reveals the beauty that is similarly hidden the fabric of an everyday world.

It was an insight into the lives of this community, they lived in a hard landscape of what looked like a mining town, yet they had such fascinating interests and were clearly very capable people.

At one point there seemed to be such poetry in their dialogue that it was very moving. There was some real truth and honesty in what the protagonists talked about. I was sad to see some of the people in the documentary had succumbed to the rigours of life and it was therefore quite real.

I enjoyed following the inhabitants of the garages, they had their own stories to tell. The weaving in and out of each person or groups story was well done, and of course it left me wanting to know more, which means it never got stale.

I would say that the documentary had almost an ASMR feeling to it and the time spent following the activities of the garage people was captivating. I felt that the Garage people were just like any of us with their hopes and dreams and ambitions, so they were all good Ambassadors for their nation. More so than any politician.

I would be happy to twin my garage with one of their garage / workshops if such a scheme existed and I will think of them when I retire to my Garage!