Time Indefinite

I found Ross McElwee to be both fascinating and extremely disturbing. The fact that he spent most of his life observing through a camera lens shows that he has some problems coming to term with reality. When you’re looking through a lense, its almost as if you see yourself living in a movie instead of reality. The fact that he would attend all his families social gathering and film the entire things instead of socializing almost makes it seem as if he sees himself as a member of his own personal society. When he shows up to his blind date, video camera in hand, it seems as if he wants to push society away and live in a world of his own. I was stunned when he actually found a woman to marry him, and more stunned to see that she was actually an attractive woman. I couldn’t see how she could put up with such a person, or that she would let him film her gynecologist appointment.

The format of this movie is very similar to a personal essay because his narrations are the most telling in the film and the film itself is almost a back drop for his musings. I also find it amusing that he has such a bleak outlook on life but still wishes to bring a child into this world. This whole film is largely about life and death, and he seems pretty fixated on the notion of our fragile existence. When Charlene criticizes him for bringing their son into this evil world, he takes no heed. I guess this is in line with how many people, myself included, can contradict themselves within a piece of work because our thoughts and actions aren’t always in line with one another.



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