#1 THE PENNY BLACK – DOCUMENTARY (USA)

SYNOPSIS: Will, the estranged son of a con man fights temptation, paranoia, and his own nefarious legacy after being left with a mysterious, million-dollar stamp collection.

WHAT THIS FILM DOES WELL: Documentaries have made incredible strides. Some have been so avant-garde and so unique that they almost don’t feel like documentaries but more like narratives. That’s where The Penny Black is different. It uses the conventions and standard devices of a documentary–like captured raw footage, reenactments, close ups, interviews, and time lining–and spins the most unique, unexpected story that reads, looks, and feels like a noir piece. It is riveting, interesting, twisting and turning, and just as you catch your breath the roller coaster ride sends you for one more drop.

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Beyond all that, what Alexander Greer and Joe Saunders do better than maybe anyone I have ever seen, is present all of the facts as they need to. They never infiltrate the sacred mark of demarcation that often has been done in Documentaries like this one that have so much going on in them. Moreover there are shots in this film composed like works of art–that work like we are spies infiltrating the secret criminal lair, only we never really know who the bad guy is. We are being told who it might be and why, but Will is so unreliable and so scary-good at being our narrator, investigator, and navigator that you become equally enthralled and frightened by him.

The viewer is left to feel unsatisfied, even when the conclusion and evidence presents itself because Will just simply makes you question it all. There are moments when you aren’t even sure you are looking through the lens of a camera as that camera stays on its subject and marinates for you like a hot off the grill steak you want to devour but know it has to rest first. Often in this film that questioning and fierce desire to know more brings you to believe one way or the other but never with certainty, and dare I say it makes you want to learn more about stamps. How the fuck did it pull off a magic trick like that? I don’t know, and the best part of this 90-minute plus journey for me is I don’t care because, damn, this movie was so fucking good.

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And that is going to do it for this look back at the world of indie film in 2020. Until next time, check out GoIndieNow on YouTube and Twitch, and be sure to subscribe if you want to stay up-to-date on all things indie!

See the top ten films of 2020 here.