The Potter's Meal & Nobody's Business

In the passed few weeks I've had a chance to see two rather interesting documentaries. Both deal with maybe more ordinary subjects, but it seems there's something quite unique and wonderful about both of these simple stories.

The Potter's Meal is a cool short doc about potter Joseph Bennion, who lives with his family in rural Utah. For many potting might not sound like the most exciting thing. This doc might not convert you to the excitement of making pots, but it will let you in on Joe's perspective on potting as art and the relationship that man has with nature, food, creative process, God, and family. For being only 30 min long, there's a lot in there and it's well worth the time. Director Steve Olpin also claims that a new remastered version of the film is done and he just has to find the time to get it released. We'll see how long it takes him.

Nobody's Business is Alan Berliner's film about genealogy and family relations, focusing primarily on his father, who's now a rather old man. His father has that grumpy charm that is so funny in people who've been around a while and now see no reason to change their views in the slightest. This film looks at an alleged 'ordinary' life and captures/finds some things that could be considered more than just ordinary. This is a cool look at Alan Berliner's quest to learn more about his ancestors and in the process, I believe, discovers a lot about his own relationship with his parents. And all along the way we have his father, Oscar's grumpy cursing to keep us smiling.