Video Americain

Review

Gilliam has been responsible for some of the most ambitious, off-kilter, visionary films to come out of the modern cinematic movement. He rarely does anything on a small scale, including fail. Fulton and Pepe bring their cameras to the set of Gilliam's latest film to record his biggest failure yet, and it's a compelling ride. Gilliam and crew have acquired a large chunk of cash from European financiers to make their dreams of bringing Don Quixote to the big screen a reality. That Gilliam's set gets damaged by the rain, his lead actor becomes sick and incapacitated and that the whole production is far exceeding its budget limitations are among the setbacks in what becomes the derailed production from hell. This telling documentary gives audiences rare access into the intricacies of making a film and a piercing look into the longsuffering mind of Gilliam. In a tragicomic journey, we see Gilliam's dream project disentigrate before his eyes as he continues to remain passionate about his vision. A smartly edited, well crafted doc about the kind of ambition that exceeds realistic expectations, Lost in La Mancha is well worth a look.