Errol Morris launched
his fascinating,
Oscar-winning career
with this instant
classic, a documentary
about pet cemeteries.
The subject is darker
and weirder than even
Stephen King could dream
up, yet the movie is
also wildly funny and
lingeringly sad. As
Morris gets his people
to soliloquize for the
neutral camera, they
confirm that their love
for their pets is
utterly sincere--and
that eccentricity runs
deep in the American
grain. Although the
ostensible topic is
animals, the owners and
clients reveal much more
about the species that
walks on two legs; the
depth of human feeling
on display is
bottomless, and the
ability of humans to
anthropomorphize their
pets is astounding.
(Surely some of these
animals must be utterly
bewildered by their
keepers.)
The film looks at two
California cemeteries,
one failed, one
flourishing. First-time
viewers often have the
experience of laughing
through the first half
of the picture--this is
an outrageous group of
people who wouldn't be
out of place in a
Christopher Guest
comedy--and then growing
emotionally involved.
Morris's flat, dead-on
style makes the movie a
mirror, so that cynics
will see a fool's parade
of weirdoes, while pet
lovers will warmly
identify with so much
tenderness toward
animals. (And Roger
Ebert, the film's
biggest champion, will
see one of the 10 best
movies ever made.) It's
a strange experience,
but likely one you'll
never forget.
--Robert Horton
Genre:
Documentary
