"Overnight" Documentary

Have you ever seen "The Boondock Saints"? If you haven't, I highly suggest you rent it, if you're into a little action, crude humor, and non-linear story telling. Plus, Willem Dafoe is amazing!!! A DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 makes the movie and soundtrack come alive. I decided to write this blog about a documentary called "Overnight,” released in 2003, which follows the director of "The Boondock Saints," Troy Duffy in his quest to create his movie. Filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana (haha, that's his real name!) center their documentary around Troy Duffy and his various circle of friends as Duffy's script is picked up by the legendary Harvey Weinstein at MIRAMAX. This documentary should be shown in film class as to how NOT to start a successful career in film. The documentary begins at Duffy’s place of work, a bar called J. Sloan’s with news that Harvey Weinstein will allow Duffy to turn his script into a movie, letting him direct it and provide the soundtrack with Duffy’s own band. Unfortunately Duffy’s ego steps in the way of his success, the documentary follows him as he constantly chain smokes and curses his way out of the film business. Duffy had the chance of a lifetime, but his attitude ruined his chances of ever working with MIRAMAX again, Weinstein drops the movie and Duffy ends up destroying friendships with lifelong friends. Although the film does eventually get made, it was low budget and had limited distribution. Documentary filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana, shot the documentary in black and white, I think, symbolizing Duffy’s dualistic view on how his movie should be made. They determined the “look” or “feel” of the documentary by including interviews (like other documentaries) of Duffy and friends, capturing Duffy’s world unfolding as it happens. The documentary tends to use stable close-up shots, creating the sense that everything we hear is very personal. With Duffy smoking a cigarette in nearly every scene, not to mention the binge drinking, the audience gets a sense of his self-destructive behavior. These choices remained constant throughout the piece, documenting the rise and fall of an amateur filmmaker.

Jenni