By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Rupert Murray
Country: united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 88
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436864/
Michael says: “Rupert Murray’s documentary, UNKNOWN WHITE MALE documents the bizarre, unsettling journey of his friend Doug Bruce, a successful stockbroker who woke up on a subway with no memory of who he was. It is a curious look at identity, and whether memory (or lack thereof) makes someone who they are. In early July 2003, Bruce got on the subway in Manhattan, and woke to find himself in an unfamiliar part of town. Even more frighteningly, he had no idea what his name was, who his friends were, or anything about his life to that point. Knowing enough to make his way to a police station, so began his new life, one where his family and friends struggled to come to terms with the fact that he no longer had any memories or emotional connections with them.
“While it is almost inconceivable for us to imagine what it would be like to wake up one day with no memory of your past, Murray uses interviews, family videos, and images created by Bruce himself to attempt to give the viewer a glimpse into Doug’s new life, one where he struggles with his lost past while trying to create a new identity. We see Doug’s reunion with his father and sister; his best friends in England, and appointments with various doctors. As the film progresses, it soon becomes clear that the people who have the most difficulty coming to terms with Doug’s amnesia are his friends and family. Without the emotional connections to his past, Doug is like a child experiencing everything in his world with the wonder of a child. While UNKNOWN WHITE MALE is a fascinating look at identity; some of Murray’s filmmaking tricks fall flat.
“The fact that my memory of this film is so fuzzy must say something as well. I found parts interesting, but as a whole, I was left a little cold. There has been some speculation that the film is an elaborate hoax, but I don’t think I would go that far. In many ways Murray was lucky to have so much video and still footage to work with that Bruce himself shot in the weeks after his memory loss. The sense of exploitation is definitely present as I watched the film, but I think Murray was sincere about his desire to capture Bruce’s journey on film; not to exploit him, but to explore larger issues. Still, I can only give this film 2 ½ cats.”
Bruce says: “Born in Paris in 1967 and raised in England, Doug Bruce worked in finance in France before moving to New York and making a fortune on Wall Street. At the age of 30, Doug decided to retire and pursue photography as a second career. One day he suddenly lost his memory. Filmmaker Ruppert Murray was a friend of Doug’s when they both lived in London. He was fascinated by the concept of memory loss and decided to make a film about what happened to his friend.
“As UNKNOWN WHITE MALE begins, a reenactment of events shows Doug on the phone with a friend. (Nothing more is really known other than he turned himself into the police late in the same day when he realized he had lost his memory.) He has no ID so the only clue to his identity is the name of Eva Seckert scribbled on a sheet of paper in his back pack. She is the mother of a girl he briefly had dated. Through her Doug’s identity is determined. When asked to sign a medical statement, Doug scribbles a signature that is illegible. Medical authorities finally release him in the care of Eva’s daughter Nadine.
“In this age of faux biographies and grossly exaggerated memoirs one tends to be wary of stories involving the extreme. There are enough contradictions and gaps in Doug’s story to make one wonder how much is real and how much is fabricated. Daniel Schaefer, Chair of Psychology at Harvard, describes the three type of memory for the viewer: episodic (unique experiences); semantic (schooled, learning facts) and procedural (learning skills). He explains to us that Doug’s problem is with his episodic memory – Doug cannot remember his name, his family, his friends, his home address or anything about his life. He can, however, speak both English and French and knows how to operate his camera and perform quotidian tasks. Doug no longer remembers what love is. He has to reacquaint himself with his friends and family and clearly has no interest in parts of his old life, parts of which he conveniently discards. (One wonders if his knowledge of how he made his money is equally – and conveniently obliterated.) The Psychiatrist at Coney Island hospital says that Doug’s case of psychologic amnesia is a type that is only seen in the movies and in rare textbook cases.
“Doug’s recuperation is fairly fast. At photography school he relearns two years of schooling in less than two months. He falls in love with an Australian girl. He marvels, ‘The first time at the Met blew my mind. I do a history class at school and it has enabled me to find out what’s been going on in the world for the last five hundred years.’ I was tempted to yell at the screen, ‘You haven’t been reincarnated, you have memory loss!’
“The most annoying aspect of UNKNOWN WHITE MALE is the artsy fartsy use of the filmmaker’s hand held camera which constantly pans New York City picking up random details that add nothing to the story and merely take up space. Footage from Doug Bruce’s own videos is incorporated into the film as well; it is not much of an improvement. He might consider giving Wall Street a second chance. 2 cats”
Barbara says: “I do enjoy documentaries but found UNKNOWN WHITE MALE to be almost too unreal or staged. It concerns Doug Bruce who one day lost all of his past memory which was diagnosed as retrogade amnesia. He had to learn not only about his personal pat but all of history anew. Too farfetched. The camera work gave me a headache almost to the point of nausea. 1 1/2 Cats”
Carolyn says: “I was fascinated by the cognitive aspects of Doug’s condition. The brain/mind is a fascinating organ and I definitely got caught up in that aspect of the story. That was the best part. As it goes on the movie gets a bit repetitive with similar comments from all his past friends ‘meeting’ him again. 5 cats for info, 3 cats for story and camera work.”