I listened to an excellent interview of this film's producers upon its release and was really expecting great things (I grew up in Wisconsin in the mid '60s/early '70s and our Boy Scout Troop had many weekend outings in the Black River Falls area, where this film takes place).
Terrific "real life" stories about the mysterious happenings and murders in and around this town are re~enacted in Errol Morris fashion, but the film never finds Morris' focus ~ instead, it makes a mish-mash of all of the interesting tales.
After 30 minutes you've witnessed so many deaths and oddities in no order whatsoever, that if you're a smart viewer you begin to ask yourself "What is this film really trying to say?"...
After 5 more minutes, the filmmakers have re~covered evey square inch of what the initial half~hour presented.
Should have been better.
Far better.
Terrific "real life" stories about the mysterious happenings and murders in and around this town are re~enacted in Errol Morris fashion, but the film never finds Morris' focus ~ instead, it makes a mish-mash of all of the interesting tales.
After 30 minutes you've witnessed so many deaths and oddities in no order whatsoever, that if you're a smart viewer you begin to ask yourself "What is this film really trying to say?"...
After 5 more minutes, the filmmakers have re~covered evey square inch of what the initial half~hour presented.
Should have been better.
Far better.