Gorgeous Hybrid
E. F. Kohler | San Francisco, CA | 11/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Documentaries have been gaining in popularity over the past decade or so. As with any practice on the ascent it attracts a number of enthusiastic would-be practitioners who (with good intentions mind you)that ultimately have no business jumping on board the doc-makin' bandwagon. I've seen countless docs over the last decade that would make much better books. Many documentaries are undoubtedly (and often painfully) made by non-filmakers. Now I'm not trying to be condescending here, but film is a visual medium and should be created with this in mind. A great story does not automatically make a great film. While the content of some recent docs has been provocative and intriguing, the execution has often been less than satisfying.
And then there's a film like Hybrid. This is clearly a work created by an ARTIST. Disclaimer: I am a fan of the poetic documentary sub genre. If you don't like this kind of film, stop reading - I won't convince you of anything. This is an astoundingly beautiful film that approaches it's subject in a quirky and wonderful manner. It avoids the very bad habit that so many other documentaries succumb to; namely Hybrid does NOT mimic the conventional narrative arc that most fiction films indulge in (roughly put, characters are introduced, conflict takes place, some kind of resolution results - yawn.) Hybrid navigates the territory of it's primary subject with humor, poignancy and stunning photography. Buy it. Love it. 'Nuff said"