When I finished Beyond the Duplex Planet I texted my friend Nate Hood. There was something in the film that I thought was going to resonate with him on a personal level. It was something about the humanity of the story that I felt he needed to see.
The film is a portrait of David Greenberger who in his 20’s began to publish The Duplex Planet a zine that ran from 1979-2010 chronicling the the lives and words of the people who lived in the nursing home where he worked. Greenberger really got to know the seniors, and he strove to get their words and feelings out into the world. The zine grew into a comic book series, multiple albums of songs, related books, a radio show and spoken word performances and recordings.
As much as I would love to wax poetic about the wonders of this film, but I don’t know if I have the words. The problem is that much like Greenberger’s life this film is not one thing. Outside of being a portrait of the man at the center of the film the film simply keeps evolving and building upon itself into something glorious, warm, and human. This is a film that reveals life to us in ways we never expected. How the hell can I even try to explain what a glorious experience seeing this film is.
What I really need to do is to take each one of you by the hand and bring you to the theater to see this film. I need to plop you down in your seat with a big bowl of popcorn, your drink of choice and perhaps, some tissues and let you be moved.
There is a battle in the community of film writers between those who say that we should simply say if a film is good or bad and those that say we should take the film apart and go for something deeper. With Beyond the Duplex Planet, I am left simply saying that you must see this film because it is somewhere beyond good because the film forces us to engage with it on a deeper, very personal level. I can not say how you will react to the film, and I’m not going to force you to think or feel anything. I am simply going to say see this film and take the ride and then let me know how it made you feel and what it made you think since that is infinitely more important than what I think.
Highly recommended
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