Roger Burke
How many times have you driven through a small town and briefly caught the looks of the locals as you drove by, perhaps thinking about their lives – seemingly static – just as they were probably thinking about yours – moving too fast, perhaps?This is a film where Errol Morris lets you get out of your auto, so to speak, just to find out what those locals are indeed thinking about. It could be Any Town, Any State, Any Country but, for reasons unknown to me, Morris chose to get out at Vernon, Florida which, according to my Google maps, is about thirty miles due north of Panama City, just south of I10 – for those who like to know where they are all the time...Nobody, however, does documentaries quiet like Morris: stop the car, set up the camera, ask one of the local locals to talk, roll sound, roll camera, action – and say nothing to distract the viewer from what is being said. That's about as close to actual cinema verite as you're ever likely to get. That's Morris's trademark technique, which is its strength as well as its weakness – in a sense.Its strength because, as the viewer, you gain a totally uninterrupted (except for necessary editing) slice of humanity, uncluttered by any considerations other than to let that person talk. And, talk they do, providing a near voyeuristic insight into the rural mentality and psychology of part of America's deep south – something you'd never get, probably, if you'd just stopped off there one day to get directions to I10, or somewhere else. Often, some locals don't like to talk to foreigners, do they now? Well, here's your chance...Its weakness because Morris has obviously made a choice about who to put on film; he didn't simply set up the camera and then wait for people to sidle up to say their piece and then exit stage left. No – the locals he did choose (maybe they chose him also?) had something interesting to say, and they all said it well. To that extent, they all became 'actors', but no more than we are all actors in the story of our own life. The core of their beliefs shine through, however, from the guy who hunts wild turkey, to the pastor who provides a semantic dissertation on the word 'therefore', to the old man who keeps wild animals in his pen, and to the local cop who sits, most days, in his patrol car, waiting, waiting and waiting...The camera work is, as indicated, composed of many long, static takes for each interviewee; in all, there are six or seven characters, most of whom appear as individuals. Once, however, Morris has three old men discussing the bizarre facts about a suicide by a fourth person, and quietly arguing about the exact method the deceased used. Such candor is rarely seen or heard. The turkey hunter has the most screen time, perhaps because he is the most articulate, has fascinating details about turkey shoots and allows us to hear, at length, the languid silence of the Florida wetlands. The final scene, where Morris uses the only moving frame in the film, has that hunter watching the buzzards nest in the trees for the night, as the sun goes down – and wishing they were turkeys. City dwellers: eat your heart out...Truth is always better than fiction, and definitely stranger. You'll certainly laugh, you'll maybe cringe a bit, you'll smile often, and you might even feel sorry for some of these people who are, in the final analysis, no less than we are. And, no more.Highly recommended for all.
soontobewriter
I am grateful to Werner Herzog for convincing Errol Morris to become a filmmaker. "Vernon, Florida" is an intriguing look at the inhabitants of a small town with a beautiful setting in the southern United States. Like most of his films, if not all, Morris remains completely aloof, and instead allows his subjects to speak for themselves. One can easily mock the old, toothless men and the man who just loves "gobblers" (turkeys) but that would be too easy. There is something poignant about the way the people of this small town attempt to express their feelings, as if in many cases, they do not have the vocabulary to articulate their ideas. However, underlying their simple way of life is something that touches humanity. They love their lives and live them day to day without a care in the world. A friend of mine said that these guys are actually a lot smarter than we think because they know something better than probably anyone else around, even if it is cultivating worms. I think perhaps they know a lot more than we think about what it is to be human; they are earnest and humble. I watched this film three times and after each viewing I came to have a deeper appreciation for every one of them. Errol Morris is perhaps the best documentary filmmaker around today and this film was a little treat. A must see for all.
richard-764
Errol Morris went to Vernon, Fla because it had a reputation for excessive insurance claims due to missing limbs. Known as "Stump City," Vernon turned out to be much more--a place seemingly filled with odd characters. Morris spent a year there, gaining the locals' confidence and doing interviews that are priceless. I can't recommend this too much. I was passing through Florida three years ago and saw a turnoff to Vernon. I went there anticipating the same characters would be hanging out at the gas station watching someone change a tire...then I realized that it was filmed 20 years earlier, and most may have passed away. I shot photos and went on my way. Trust me, Vernon, Florida is a classic.
