By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.25
Director: Aaron Bear
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 62
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7315826/reference
Chris says: “Microsoft programmer and pioneer Ric Weiland is surely worthy of a documentary, but this isn’t it. Feeling padded at just sixty minutes, it has the requisite tribute interviews and archival images of Weiland, but also a lot of unnecessary animation and reenactments. There seems to virtually be no filmed footage of Weiland at all, which is a huge detriment as the attempts to cover for that don’t really provide a strong sense of who he was. In fact, the film only becomes compelling when it details Weiland’s chronic depression and attempts to understand and de-stigmatize it. Otherwise, this is a missed opportunity. 2 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival”
Cheryl says: “This film introduces the third member of the Microsoft founders club. Along with Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Ric Weiland revolutionized the way we work and communicate. He’s the ‘fifth Beatle’ of the industry and as such, his story is not widely known, which should make for a compelling documentary. The fact that he was openly gay at a time when that was decidedly not the norm attests to his importance as a role model for all coders, and his generosity as a philanthropist is exceptional. His support for The Foundation for Aids Research, GLAAD, PFLAG, Lambda Legal, Stanford University’s Weiland Health Initiative, and countless other organizations is his legacy. Watching the film, I felt that this was an important chapter in American LGBTQ+ history that I should share with my students. However, the film would not hold their interest; the use of animation and recreation are distracting and do not help us understand the man. The narration by Zachary Quinto, who reads from Weiland’s journals, interviews with Bill Gates and others who knew Weiland, and the still photos used repeatedly cannot save this film from the boredom that sets in well before the end of the one hour total running time. There is an important message here about depression and suicide, but it only takes shape in the second half of the film and then, sadly, it’s too late for Weiland to accept the help he needed. There is a poignant irony in that he helped so many others. 2.5 cats
“Screened at the Provincetown International Film Festival“