Plucked

"Plucked" is a documentary about a real life crime...the theft of a valuable Stradivarius violin in Milwaukee about a decade ago. While this might not sound that interesting, filmmaker Joel Van Haren did a good job infusing the story with excitement--and having a charismatic sociopath starring in it helped.

Following the film at the Philadelphia Film Festival, Van Haren was on hand to discuss his project. I actually found this more interesting than the movie itself, as it was obvious the filmmaker was charmed by the thief. This isn't 100% surprising, as sociopaths ARE often quite engaging and easy to like....after all, this enables them to take advantage of others so easily! As for me, I had an opposite reaction....as I have a lot of experience working with sociopaths (now called 'antisocial personalities' by mental health professionals)...and instead of being captivated, I am annoyed because I know they are trying to game me....and the guy who stole the violin certainly knows how to manipulate folks!