Man in Camo

Man in Camo was a very unique and creatively made documentary. You can tell, from the first shot of the film to the last, that Ethan Minsker is an artist. Through the film he uses graphics, animation, special effects, and even stop motion to bring his story to life. Throughout the film Minsker talks a lot about sub-culture and artiatic movements within sub-culture, and features a number of other artists as well. Minsker does a wonderful job of sharing his love of art through the screen, from showing his home films he made when he was younger, to showing his art pieces he's made throughout his life. Man in Camo is a truly authentic and artistic documentary.

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.

This film as a whole is an incredible visual spectacle, with its usage of its various multi-media creations to form this clear picture of who Ethan Minsker is. While I think slightly self-indulgent at times, it makes sense given the nature of the project, and it paints this very proud and confident picture of the type of artist that Ethan is. It completely justifies its run time and always stays so fast and interesting, never leaving a moment without some animation or music to fill the gap. There's such a scope to Ethan's work that by the end there's no way you won't be a fan of at least some idea of visual presented here.

It's hard to write a spoiler-free review of this film because as soon as you say "Ethan Minsker," you've given away a huge part of the story. Ethan has been at this for a long time-since he was a kid in many ways. At what? Filmmaking, rebel-rousing, DIYing, punk rocking, zinstering, and making, making, making. He's made a lot of movies over the years and finally made one about himself; he's earned it.

I'm a fan highly-specific stories that reveals the universality of our experience. Man in Camo is part biography, part manifesto, part self-exploration. I firmly believe everyone has a story to tell, but not everyone has the means (or gumption) to tell their own. There's a cautionary tale in here somewhere too, written and read between the lines. You don't have to be from New York to get something out of this-you don't have to be a writer or director, and you don't have to be Ethan Minsker.

We did a special screening of this film at our fest (Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival 2018, Hamtramck, Michigan). Ethan came out and led a robust Q&A after the film and the audience, strangers to Ethan's work, stuck around well past the alloted time and were fully-engaged throughout.

Frenetic editing, visually rich with about three dozen different animation techniques employed to liven up interviews and interstitials, Man in Camo is Minsker using everything he's learned in his life to tell the story of his life-celebrating his passions in the medium(s) of his passions.

We all know our friends for who and what they are, but never really get the whole story. We share things about ourselves but sometimes forget little details. It's not that we mean to, it just happens. To see a film with someone who is so enveloped in their medium, it was hard to miss out on anything happening in Ethan's life. This film is honest, poignant, and highly entertaining. The style is unique, and whether you know the director personally, or simply being entertained by this film, you reflect on the stories in your own life. You don't have to make it to the top to have some one else write out inaccuracies in your autobiography, you can be just as extraordinary and share some truths with a dash of cinema magic. Can anyone pull it off the same way he did? Probably not, but cheers to Mr. Minsker for paving the way and making his mark in film.