Protagonist
Directed by Jessica Yu
Confused minds think alike in Jessica Yu’s Protagonist—or, at least, that’s what we’re supposed to believe. Yu’s analytical documentary has an intentionally narrow view of human narratives, lumping together the misguided journeys of four men to highlight the conceptual parallels between them. Rather than letting the contrast stand alone, Yu ties things together with a slyly academic approach, integrating scenes with wooden puppets to re-enact the plot and cite thematically relevant passages from fifth century playwright Euripides. The technique actually suits these oddball tales, which come readymade for grim dissection.
Each character has his motives for becoming misguided: A young man suffers from an abusive father and stabs him, triggering a desire for an outlaw’s lifestyle that that leads to a spree of bank robberies; a kid gets bullied at school and decides to become a karate master; a German extremist turns to terrorism; a gay man decides to fight his sexual urges by turning to god. The subjects flee lives less ordinary to discover greater potential, instigating a deleterious process that leads them back to where they started. Through separate interviews, they dissect their decisions with trenchant observations and textbook conclusions. “It’s psychology 101,” the ex-bank robber says.
The similarities between their experiences hardly rise above an elemental level, but that’s exactly what permits Yu’s project to churn away as a cogent expression. The obvious referent is Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Errol Morris’ fantastically surreal experiment, which used a wider canvas and didn’t try explaining itself. But Morris’ documentary works as a series of encounters that initially seem unrelated. Only through repeated motifs does a unifying thesis emerge. Protagonist explains the purpose from the very beginning, but you have to stick around for the whole show to see the argument take shape.
Yu also has a more viscerally involved approach than Morris does in his work. Many of the dramatic turning points in these stories are seen through puppet movements, but that only underlines their significance. These people are eager to tell their stories, and the cadences of thrilling storytelling come naturally to them; we’re left at the mercy of their own memories.
This is a blessing and a curse. Dense despite its trim 90 minutes, Protagonist relies on a gimmick that gets old mighty fast. Everyone in Yu’s production has enough stories to fill an entire movie, but that’s essential to its effectiveness. The plots follow similar trajectories, but the revelations are in the individual details.
Directed by Jessica Yu
Confused minds think alike in Jessica Yu’s Protagonist—or, at least, that’s what we’re supposed to believe. Yu’s analytical documentary has an intentionally narrow view of human narratives, lumping together the misguided journeys of four men to highlight the conceptual parallels between them. Rather than letting the contrast stand alone, Yu ties things together with a slyly academic approach, integrating scenes with wooden puppets to re-enact the plot and cite thematically relevant passages from fifth century playwright Euripides. The technique actually suits these oddball tales, which come readymade for grim dissection.
Each character has his motives for becoming misguided: A young man suffers from an abusive father and stabs him, triggering a desire for an outlaw’s lifestyle that that leads to a spree of bank robberies; a kid gets bullied at school and decides to become a karate master; a German extremist turns to terrorism; a gay man decides to fight his sexual urges by turning to god. The subjects flee lives less ordinary to discover greater potential, instigating a deleterious process that leads them back to where they started. Through separate interviews, they dissect their decisions with trenchant observations and textbook conclusions. “It’s psychology 101,” the ex-bank robber says.
The similarities between their experiences hardly rise above an elemental level, but that’s exactly what permits Yu’s project to churn away as a cogent expression. The obvious referent is Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Errol Morris’ fantastically surreal experiment, which used a wider canvas and didn’t try explaining itself. But Morris’ documentary works as a series of encounters that initially seem unrelated. Only through repeated motifs does a unifying thesis emerge. Protagonist explains the purpose from the very beginning, but you have to stick around for the whole show to see the argument take shape.
Yu also has a more viscerally involved approach than Morris does in his work. Many of the dramatic turning points in these stories are seen through puppet movements, but that only underlines their significance. These people are eager to tell their stories, and the cadences of thrilling storytelling come naturally to them; we’re left at the mercy of their own memories.
This is a blessing and a curse. Dense despite its trim 90 minutes, Protagonist relies on a gimmick that gets old mighty fast. Everyone in Yu’s production has enough stories to fill an entire movie, but that’s essential to its effectiveness. The plots follow similar trajectories, but the revelations are in the individual details.
