By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Keith Maitland
Country: united_states
Year: 2022
Running time: 97
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6438382/reference
Chris says: “Michael Brody Jr. proved Warhol’s 15 Minutes of Fame theory to be spot-on, give or take a week. As a 21-year-old margarine company heir, he made a big splash in January 1970 by appearing on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW in hippie garb with an acoustic guitar, his new wife and a proposition: he would be giving away his $25M inheritance to anyone who asked for funds and explained why they deserved it. Needless to say, such a kooky gesture did not go entirely as he intended.
“This doc from Keith Maitland (TOWER) is an ambitious endeavor to wrap one’s head around Brody’s wild tale, splicing psychedelic period-referencing graphics with modern day interviews and a motherlode of archival footage. The real hook, however, arrives in the discovery of thousands and thousands of unopened letters sent from ordinary citizens to Brody asking for his money, each one making a case as to why he should give it to them. Obviously, the letters provide an invaluable record of a long-past culture’s wants and desires, dreams and delusions, dilemmas and hardships; even more fascinating, however, is when the filmmakers actually track down a few of these letter-writers and have them read the words they wrote. It’s best to let the film gradually reveal what became of Brody (as opposed to disclosing it here) while also considering the strange, lingering aftereffects he never intended his actions to have. 4 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival“
Julie says: “An incredibly affecting and effective approach regarding the use of the unopened letters to tell an important part of this bizarre and interesting story. However, In the end I was disappointed in Mr Brody in many ways. My favorite so far. At this point I will say 4 cats maybe more. It is really interesting and well done as a doc I think. A very unusual way to go about things, quite brilliant. An incredibly affecting and effective approach regarding the unopened letters.
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival“
Michael says: “This documentary certainly tells a unique and fascinating story, about Michael Brody, a 21-year-old millionaire hippie who publicly declares he wants to give away his $25M inheritance. As the film shows, there’s no real evidence that he ever actually gave away much money, or that he even had that much of an inheritance, but the filmmaker follows the young woman who is dutifully sifting through and reading the thousands of letter Brody received, asking for a portion of his inheritance, and even following up with some of the people who wrote them, now forty plus years later. It’s all fairly fascinating to look back on, but I didn’t connect with it the way others have, and I found it fairly repetitive. 2 1/2 cats“
Dear Mr. Brody