December 18, 2016
Fake It So Real
(Dir. Robert Greene, 2011)
Co-presented by Cinefamily.
Sponsored by MUBI.
Los Angeles premiere! Robert Greene in conversation with journalist David Shoemaker (aka the Masked Man) following the screening!
DOORS
3:30 PM
SCREENING
4:00 PM
LOCATION
Cinefamily
611 N. Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Fake it So Real follows a ragtag group of wrestlers in North Carolina over the course of a week leading up to a big show. Director Robert Greene's acclaimed second feature explores what happens when the over-the-top theatrics of the wrestling ring collide with the realities of the working-class South. Gabriel is the rookie trying make it to the Big Time and be a part of this family of tough guys. Jeff is the leader who may miss his first show in ten years, due to an unexpected and debilitating injury. J-Prep, Zane, Pitt, Solar and the rest of the crew each face obstacles on their way to the big show. The wrestlers aren’t paid for their passion, but they treat wrestling like any artist treats their work. Fake It So Real shares the triumphs and heartaches of an often under-appreciated American art form, persuasively illustrating many of Greene's primary themes as fact and fiction blur both inside the ring and out. (Factory 25)
~ Join us for a post-screening reception on Cinefamily's back patio.
An affectionate portrait of an all-American subculture. In the tradition of the Maysles brothers, Greene films without comment and leaves it to the viewer to draw conclusions with some interesting contradictions to consider."
- Robert Koehler, Variety
One of the year’s most noteworthy documentaries. Greene constructs the film subtly and with an increasing complexity that yields increasing depth, as a sort of meandering and impressionistic introduction to the milieu gives way to asides for each wrestler to deliver something of an aria.
- Richard Brody, The New Yorker
Beyond its sheer entertainment value, which is nearly boundless, the deeper appeal of Fake It So Real lies in getting these raucous big lugs to expose their vulnerabilities (amid issues of class, race, culture and masculine identity) without ever becoming canned anthropology or a joke at anyone’s expense.
- Steve Dollar, The Wall Street Journal
Vital and moving––an examination of the fantasy lives of men whose experiences and aspirations are rarely articulated in the cinema.
- Tom Hall, Hammer to Nail
Fantastic. Wrestling has never seemed as intense and physically costly. Yet Greene is not interested in mining the sport for tales of snake-bitten men reaching for a glory that will never come. A sense of community and mutually-appreciated craft pervades the scene.
- Brandon Harris, Filmmaker Magazine
(Available to download after screening date)