One of the coolest surprises this year for me was watching the hilariously melancholy and quirky documentary, Confessions Of A Superhero. As a fan of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man, I’m so happy to see something new that is as entertaining and engaging as that film is.



Anyone who's been in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood is familiar with the various "superheros" and "movie stars" that hang out in front. As a tourist you decide to get your picture taken with them, and afterwords they ask you to pay for the photo. So essentially they are panhandlers.



Someone eventually had to wonder who these people were, and why they have gotten into this profession. That somebody was Mathew Ogens, and he had the brilliant idea to follow these characters around for a while, and see who they were behind the costume. The film takes a very personal look at the lives of four particular characters; Christopher Dennis (Super Man), Maxwell Allen (Batman), Jennifer Gerht (Wonder Woman), and Joseph McQueen (The Hulk).



Each person’s story is so unique, so odd, and so compelling, that you are immediately engaged, and the deeper the movie gets, the more emotionally involved you get into each person’s lives. Each person’s life is on a path, some going in a good direction, some not so much.



The main character of the story is Christopher Dennis, a scrawny Christopher Reeves look-alike. Like many of the other street performers, he seems to connect with the character he portrays very deeply, and that seems to reflect the life he leads and the way he lives it. You can see him doing his very best to live by the moral compass that Superman himself lives by, and it’s great to watch. That’s not to say he doesn’t have issues, he may be the oddest of the bunch, but I’ll let you see for yourself.

As you begin the movie, it’s hard to imagine how they are going to dedicate a feature length amount of time to these people, but by the time it’s over, you don’t want it to end.



I give this movie my most enthusiastic thumbs up, I cannot think of another movie this year that’s come out that I have been more excited about, and I REALLY hope you’ll take the time to check it out.

Ryan's Rating: A

Links
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Official Site