THE PENNY BLACK
FILM BY WILLIAM J SAUNDERS & ALEXANDER GREER
STARRING: WILL CASSADY SMITH
SYNOPSIS: Will, the estranged son of a con man fights temptation, paranoia, and his own nefarious legacy after being left with a mysterious, million-dollar stamp collection.
WHAT THIS FILM DOES WELL: Documentaries have made incredible strides, there have been some that have just been so avant-garde and so unique that they almost don’t feel like documentaries but more like narratives. That’s where The Penny Black is different. It uses the conventions and standard devising of a documentary: like captured raw footage, reenactments, close-ups, interviews, timelining, and then from all that spins the most unique, unexpected story that read, looks, and feels like a noir piece. It is riveting, interesting, twisting and turning, and just as you catch your breath the roller coaster ride sends you for one more drop. Beyond all that, what Alexander Greer and Joe Saunders do better than maybe anyone I have ever seen, is present you with all of the facts as they unwind and as they become more need to know. All while never infiltrating the sacred mark of demarcation that often has been done in Documentaries like this one. Moreover, there are shots in this film composed like works of art, that work like we are spies infiltrating the secret criminal lair. Only we never really know who the bad guy is. We are being told who it might be and why but Will is so unreliable and so scary good at being our narrator, investigator, and navigator that you become so equally enthralled with him as you do so scared and taken aback as he leads you on this journey. You never feel satisfied, even when the conclusion and evidence presents itself because Will just simply makes you question it all. There are moments when you aren’t even sure you are looking through the lens of a camera that stays on its subject and just marinates for you like a hot off the grill steak you just want to devour but know it has to rest first. Often in this film that questioning and fierce desire to know more brings you to believe one way or the other but never with certainty, and dare I say it makes you want to learn more about stamps. How the fuck did it pull off a magic trick like that? I don’t know and the best part of this 90 minute plus journey for me is I don’t care because damn this movie was so fucking good.
SYNOPSIS: Will, the estranged son of a con man fights temptation, paranoia, and his own nefarious legacy after being left with a mysterious, million-dollar stamp collection.
WHAT THIS FILM DOES WELL: Documentaries have made incredible strides, there have been some that have just been so avant-garde and so unique that they almost don’t feel like documentaries but more like narratives. That’s where The Penny Black is different. It uses the conventions and standard devising of a documentary: like captured raw footage, reenactments, close-ups, interviews, timelining, and then from all that spins the most unique, unexpected story that read, looks, and feels like a noir piece. It is riveting, interesting, twisting and turning, and just as you catch your breath the roller coaster ride sends you for one more drop. Beyond all that, what Alexander Greer and Joe Saunders do better than maybe anyone I have ever seen, is present you with all of the facts as they unwind and as they become more need to know. All while never infiltrating the sacred mark of demarcation that often has been done in Documentaries like this one. Moreover, there are shots in this film composed like works of art, that work like we are spies infiltrating the secret criminal lair. Only we never really know who the bad guy is. We are being told who it might be and why but Will is so unreliable and so scary good at being our narrator, investigator, and navigator that you become so equally enthralled with him as you do so scared and taken aback as he leads you on this journey. You never feel satisfied, even when the conclusion and evidence presents itself because Will just simply makes you question it all. There are moments when you aren’t even sure you are looking through the lens of a camera that stays on its subject and just marinates for you like a hot off the grill steak you just want to devour but know it has to rest first. Often in this film that questioning and fierce desire to know more brings you to believe one way or the other but never with certainty, and dare I say it makes you want to learn more about stamps. How the fuck did it pull off a magic trick like that? I don’t know and the best part of this 90 minute plus journey for me is I don’t care because damn this movie was so fucking good.
WHY CHAMPION THIS FILM: Documentaries are a tough sell, so many look and seem similar and they blend into a sea of them. Fans of documentaries would get to this film eventually but only after they have exhausted all the serial killer/mafia history/time to be scared of food docs there are out there. This film is different. It plays like a mystery, a noir, and a documentary all at the same time. Films like this don't come around too often and its time to see what the next generation can do with real-life subject matter, the documentary ruled the roost in 2020 and this film is why we can't become complacent and accept that great documentaries are done one way and one way only if they want to be successful because that's crap.
YOU SHOULD LIKE THIS FILM IF YOU ARE A FAN OF: Movies like The Conversation and The Sting. Also if you love Noir and/or Stamp Collecting
YOU CAN NOW WATCH THIS FILM ON YOUR FAVORITE VIDEO ON DEMAND SERVICE HERE
YOU SHOULD LIKE THIS FILM IF YOU ARE A FAN OF: Movies like The Conversation and The Sting. Also if you love Noir and/or Stamp Collecting
YOU CAN NOW WATCH THIS FILM ON YOUR FAVORITE VIDEO ON DEMAND SERVICE HERE
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