One of the films I was most interested in seeing at SXSW was Ben Steinbauer’s feature debut, the Winnebago Man. I had heard really good things about the documentary from some of the RTF faculty, and I was very interested to see Ben’s hard work presented on the big screen (he’d been working on the film for somewhere around three years). Man, was I ever in for a treat. The film ended up being my favorite doc at the festival (or near favorite), and it was doubly cool that I could tell everyone that a former professor of mine was the director (lame, I know).
The Winnebago Man is certainly a journey film, if we’re looking to categorize the documentary within a smaller subset. Ben Steinbauer sets out to find a reclusive ex-journalist Jack Rebny, whose outtakes from a Winnebago sales video made the man an unwilling celebrity on the underground video circuit (and more recently, youtube). Ben’s journey is an epic one, as he travels all across the country, looking for a man that may very well be dead.
The main story thread serves as a microcosm for the larger issue of unwilling celebrity in the youtube age. As Ellen has advised before, It’s always a good idea to use a small example in tackling a larger issue, instead of tackling the issue on a grand scale. Microcosms allow for greater development of story, character, and emotion. Steinbauer’s documentary would certainly be a joy to watch at face value, but when you think of the how the story provides a commentary on our modern celebrity age, the film is even sweeter.
One other point I’d like to touch on is that this film goes in directions unexpected. These directions were unexpected by the director during the filming process, and also unexpected by the viewing audience. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say this: The Winnebago Man clearly illustrates that one should never give up on a documentary, for as hopeless as a situation may seem, life will often time provide us with surprises beyond our wildest expectations. Here’s to hoping that the film will get a great distribution deal, so that all you can see it soon!
Word to everything Jason said.
ReplyDeleteAfter having digested this story for a few weeks, one aspect of it stands out to me more than anything else.
That viral video, hilarious as it is to all of us, seriously threw Jack Rebney's life out of whack. He was in pretty bad shape and it appears wasn't even able to acknowledge it.
Down that path he'd gone for many years until Ben Steinbauer shows up and sticks a camera in his face.
Ben didn't just make a really entertaining movie here, but in the process he seems to have saved a guy's life - more or less. It was because this film was made, and for no other reason, that Jack was able to come out of his shell and interact with the world once more. Remember that this had been his calling; the guy was in show business.
This re-transformation just happens to occur as the guys is losing his eyesight and suddenly needs the ability to reach out and ask for help. Just think about where he would be if the filmmaker never did show up.
Ben was asked in the Q&A about how he decided to include himself in the film, and he admitted the experience was terrifying. I'll bet he's glad he did now, and I'll bet on some level Jack Rebney appreciates it even more.