It's thoroughly enjoyable, it's funny, it induces gasps and a couple of burst-out-loud guffaws, it's mildly shocking (or may induce apoplexy if one lives in puritanical solitude), it's definitely eye-opening and undeniably enthralling, but the overall madness of the subject is tinted with sadness and a little horror of the human, rather than the Richard Laymon fantasy, variety.
So what is it about? It's a story of love, kidnapping, sex, dogs, fake guns and Mormons through the eyes of the tabloids and the players involved, the principal player being Joyce McKinney, a woman who enjoys her own brand of reality.
In 1977, Mckinney hit the British headlines when she allegedly kidnapped a Mormon priest in England, chained him to a bed in a Cornish cottage and raped him repeatedly over the next three days. Her story is rather different and involves liberating her brainwashed fiancée from the clutches of the evil Mormons and helping him through his guilt with cinnamon backrubs and passionate lovemaking. There's sufficient ambiguity to suggest that neither story is entirely true but after about thirty minutes, I knew what I hoped the truth was.
And then came The Daily Mirror's 'revelations' about McKinney's history Oscar winning director, Errol Morris, delivers a documentary filled with bizarre revelations, a quagmire of lies and half-truths and a sprinkling of harsh realities to amuse and bemuse. As the story unfolds he stitches scenes together with crudely animated montages using photos and news clippings to emphasize the ludicrous nature of the saga. And just when you think you've got a handle on it, up pops another nugget of lunacy.
Tabloid digs deep to expose a corner of the mesmerising world inhabited by a woman described by contributor Peter Tory as "barking mad." Go on, you know you want to.
For more reviews, subscribe to my blog: www.thesquiss.co.uk
So what is it about? It's a story of love, kidnapping, sex, dogs, fake guns and Mormons through the eyes of the tabloids and the players involved, the principal player being Joyce McKinney, a woman who enjoys her own brand of reality.
In 1977, Mckinney hit the British headlines when she allegedly kidnapped a Mormon priest in England, chained him to a bed in a Cornish cottage and raped him repeatedly over the next three days. Her story is rather different and involves liberating her brainwashed fiancée from the clutches of the evil Mormons and helping him through his guilt with cinnamon backrubs and passionate lovemaking. There's sufficient ambiguity to suggest that neither story is entirely true but after about thirty minutes, I knew what I hoped the truth was.
And then came The Daily Mirror's 'revelations' about McKinney's history Oscar winning director, Errol Morris, delivers a documentary filled with bizarre revelations, a quagmire of lies and half-truths and a sprinkling of harsh realities to amuse and bemuse. As the story unfolds he stitches scenes together with crudely animated montages using photos and news clippings to emphasize the ludicrous nature of the saga. And just when you think you've got a handle on it, up pops another nugget of lunacy.
Tabloid digs deep to expose a corner of the mesmerising world inhabited by a woman described by contributor Peter Tory as "barking mad." Go on, you know you want to.
For more reviews, subscribe to my blog: www.thesquiss.co.uk