Darwin (2011)

Why so much hype?

Very well executed

Simply A Masterpiece

good back-story, and good acting

A great look at a few of the 35 people who live in Darwin, California, a former mining town. Those who decided to stay behind when the silver mine closed down (and even stranger - those that decided to move there afterwards) are profiled in a way that is empathetic to them and their situation but at the same time allows for humorous circumstances. The barren landscape is used in many scenes to contrast the dilapidated town to great artistic effect and is a constant reminder to how remote and removed these people are from the rest of the world. The story of Darwin itself, along with the lives of the people living there currently are woven together in a way that presents the documentary as a drama filled soap opera. The best part of it all though is that it is real.

I visited Darwin and I will tell you that the town is an amazing place with some great people. Just driving down the long Darwin Road, past the old mining town, past "Project Darwin," past the "Population 50 sign, " through the town and out the back roads will be an experience in itself. That's if you don't even talk to anyone.I made the mistake of taking photographs of peoples PRIVATE homes, which I did not ask permission to do. Being stupid, I didn't realize that people would frown upon this.So, I was tailed by a black sedan through the town and down the backroads. We noticed the car and turned around. We headed for Darwin Road and saw the car again. We stopped on the side of the road and let it pass... it passed and stopped, turned around, and came back. We hauled ass and the car turned around again.I digress.This documentary captures NONE of that. What it captures are people who are entertaining and interesting for about 10 minutes. The documentary focuses on this group of 6 or 8 people (four of them are from the same household) and even though they seemed like people I'd love to meet, I lost interest in them quick.The documentary had no direction, no narrative, no real story. Basically the documentary was point and shoot and use what we get kind of thing.I was really bummed. I was looking forward to this and WANTED to love it so much.

Darwin, a place to survive, for those who have not found a proper place in the so called civilized world. The Movie captures this remoteness in a unique way, without trying to be moral about the somewhat dubious existences of the very few souls stranded in Death Valley. Once a prosperous town with nearly 3'500 inhabitants, Darwin cut down, only within 50 years, its population to a slim 35. A quite stunning ratio which usually only happens after a big disaster. Here, the American landscape seems to have eaten up its former inhabitants and in reverse, offers for those who can't find a home the last reason to be. Like the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie slowly reveals a drama, which on first sight is not really visible.The uniqueness of this place is reflected in the making of the film. Darwin turns out to be very special, as a place and as a movie. Great imagery, great plot, fantastic sound.......

The subtitle refers to a sign on the outskirts of this remote wreck of a California town (Pop.35), a sign erected to dissuade uninvited visitors from proceeding any further down a weathered road. A windswept Death Valley location, Darwin seems the end of the road for dilapidated, ramshackle houses, corroding vehicles, mining detritus--and eccentric folk, only one of who, the postmistress, has a job. Government and commerce are non-existent, and a fragile water system as well as the town's close proximity to a naval bombing range lend a dystopian air to the place. Yet the people are resilient, even defiant of their surroundings. Once a mining town of 3500 (cue the archival photographs), it's now home to, variously, a sculptor, a writer, an anarchist, a pagan couple, a car restorer, a trans-gendered female, several retirees, a self- described "bon vivant," and Dell Heter, the "Boogie Woogie Man"; almost all depend on federal checks for their incomes. There are no children. Lots of interviews with these folk, interspersed with lingering shots of what some would label a wasteland that surrounds them. One claims that Darwin is "a magnet for people who've had problems," most of which involve drugs, alcohol, and prison time. One could easily be repelled by this crowd, but their resiliency, pride, and commitment to their place is somehow redemptive. Fine cinematography.