Man in Camo

Man in Camo is a raucous explosion of multimedia and gorilla filmmaking. It is also a touching, introspective portrayal of one man's journey from angry punk rock kid to doting father, that lays bare the struggles of an independent artist trying to live his truth and support a family at the same time. If you're a child of the 80s who still looks in the mirror and wonders if you should get a new tattoo or if you ought to dye your greying hair blue, you will relate to this film.

To experience Ethan Minkser's film "Man In Camo" is to share in an explosion of personal artistic explorations recorded and manipulated by him through decades. By traveling with his documentary, he enhances the experience by vising with the people who watch the film; it is personal, and he has a vibrant Q&A after his show. Ethan got people here in Bay City at #HHM13 worked up when they saw the film, and the audience had a great time conversing with him. I am wondering what he will do with the footage he recorded while here.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at The Gorst Underground Festival. I found this documentary, (which is Ethan Minsker's telling of his own story; his life, his art, his creative process, and background) original, inspiring, and thought provoking. This story/documentary, is not told in any kind of traditional way. It is not linear. There is a lot of material involved here, and the work has depth. The artist has done some intriguing self-examination, especially into the way his own mind works and creates. An inspiring and encouraging story for any artist and/or creative person.

I was lucky enough to see Man In Camo at The Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival in Bay City, Michigan. Honestly, when I first saw the trailer I didn't really have any interest in seeing it. It looked pretty self-indulgent...which it is...it's also endlessly fascinating, There is so much going on visually that it's hard to focus at times but it all comes together and is a beautiful insight into Minkser's life and growth as an artist. I met Ethan during the festival and he's a fascinating guy and I think "Camo" is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything he's done and will do. Well worth seeing.

I think experimental is the best word to describe Man in Camo (Ethan Minsker, 2018). The movie employs so many different mediums of art from film (obviously), to photography, stop motion, painting, sculpting etc. And yet it all fits together as one cohesive piece of art. Art is undeniably the movie's center. Ethan Minsker is a habitual artist; that's to say that he's always thinking about what he's going to make next. This movie brings you from his tumultuous upbringing to his life current day (2018) balancing a family, art, and relationships and how his art and life has changed along the way.