This documentary from Errol Morris is about four people and their jobs. They all share some common interest and I think Morris intended this to be "mankind's control over nature", though to me the connection was much simpler--all four had neat jobs and all four had an intense passion for what they did. Rarely have I seen people who love their work as much as these four men and because of this I found that there was a very likable sort of nobility about them. Some of the jobs seemed more exciting than others, but all four seemed intensely satisfied with their own particular job. There jobs were lion tamer, robotics professor, naked mole rat curator and master gardener/topiary expert.
As for the style of the film, some of the negative criticisms others level against this film I just didn't agree with, though one I certainly did. The connecting archival film clips sometimes worked well and fit what was being said and done, though some just looked cheap and out of place--particularly the movie serial clips. However, despite this possible unfortunate choice, I loved the music, way of interconnecting the stories and overall format.
Interesting and well worth a look if you like quirky documentaries. I liked this far more than Morris' first film, GATES OF HEAVEN (which was very stark and aimless compared to this one) and not as amazing as MR. DEATH--one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.
As for the style of the film, some of the negative criticisms others level against this film I just didn't agree with, though one I certainly did. The connecting archival film clips sometimes worked well and fit what was being said and done, though some just looked cheap and out of place--particularly the movie serial clips. However, despite this possible unfortunate choice, I loved the music, way of interconnecting the stories and overall format.
Interesting and well worth a look if you like quirky documentaries. I liked this far more than Morris' first film, GATES OF HEAVEN (which was very stark and aimless compared to this one) and not as amazing as MR. DEATH--one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.