Perfect. The most important documentation of the generation x paradox: the wish to be a revolutionary free-spirit and yet having to earn money in a regular job, regular city with regular people. It is an entirely temporal piece, perfectly preserved as a slice of cultural history, impossible to recreate at any other place, at any other time. The documentary is the study of office politics in a Columbia House record club office. Wilcha took his camera into work with him everyday. He quickly becomes the guru of alternative rock within Columbia House, in parallel with the rise of Nirvana, (Nevermind had just exploded in America,) because of his 'youthful' record collection. His promotion after promotion is in direct opposition to his intention to be a creative mind and to increase artistically, not financially. There is certainly an intention to demonstrate this interior battle, but it is his appreciation of people and emotion that makes the documentary so much stronger. The studies of office parties or pregnancies are superb. The film looks beautiful. People and urban landscapes are considered throughout and Wilcha's reality-directorial talent shines through in a fly-on-the-wall experience of the true nature of multinational business. The editing is excellent and unbelievably, the camera's sound is used, no other dubbing was necessary. The film has a naivety similar to Douglas Coupland's book 'Microserfs', and the frustrations of office environments are familiar to both. Coupland fans should definitely strive to see this. I had the honour to meet Wilcha at a viewing last month, he talked of incredibly exciting new work for which I cannot wait. His own experiences within the company share a sad and spooky correlation to the rise and fall of Kurt Cobain within the music industry. Part of the film's genius is this play on reality and fantasy. Whilst speaking to this phenomenally easygoing culture-journalist, I was sure I saw something of Cobain in his eyes. There's a quote which says something like "Nirvana were the band that told America how unhappy it's children were." Perhaps Wilcha is the director that will tell them about their office workers. Paul.
