Indie Game: The Movie
A wonderful documentary on the pressures of a small number of people dedicating their lives to making independent video games and the sacrifices and challenges they face. The subjects are not always likable (except Edmund McMillan, who is probably, by far, the most well-adjusted of every person they talked to), though much of that probably also has a lot to do with all of the subjects seemingly ready to crack under the pressure at any moment. It is a very human film and doesn't devolve into fanboyism (which I'm given to understand Video Game: the Movie completely does, giving actual very little context or message beyond "video games exist"), instead letting us into their world and where these guys come from.
No one comes off as "bad" in the movie (arguably Fez creators Phil Fish's ex-partner, but how their break-up affects Fish rather than who said partner is), but a lot of them seem to be very high strung or overly sensitive (Jonathan Blow seems incredibly smart and thoughtful, but can't seem to deal with the fact that when you release a piece of art, how people receive it is out of your hand). This is why I think Edmund McMillan is so essential to making this movie work. He's as stressed out as anyone, working hard for his personal vision but he seems better at keeping a strong front and a good sense of humour, probably in no small part to his supportive wife (probably the most moving part of the film is him asking his wife if this lifestyle works for her).
Edmund actually reminds me a lot of Guillermo del Toro. Beyond the superficial love of monsters and the grotesque, he is also some who uses these ideas to explore himself in a way that it also accessible and fun. And I could listen to the guy talk for a while. And they don't look entirely dissimilar (if they ended up working on a project together, I would not be surprised).
Topic: What was the last movie you watched? (Read 1764381 times)
