It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books

While Slacker might have been Richard Linklater's first big film, many people tend to forget that his first feature film was It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books which was released in 1988. Richard Linklater single handedly did everything on this film for only a budget of $3,000 and even stars in the film as well. The film was only ever released in home media in 2004 when it was included on a second disc in the Criterion Collection of Slacker (which I highly recommend for anyone interested).

The film follows a man (Richard Linklater) as he travels around the country and lives his mundane life.

It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books is one of those types of films that I seem to have very little enjoyment in watching like most other films. The film sees Linklater being experimental here. No plot, no story movement, very little dialogue, and a motionless camera. But I always come to learn that films like this have purpose and that purpose in being to show how life can be boring and mundane at times, which is something that I can find myself relating to at times. When I rate a movie, I always try to keep into consideration what the sole purpose the filmmaker had in mind and how well that was executed and I must give credit to Linklater where credit is due because he did that very well here by being more of a visual story teller here. But on the other hand, I find it hard to have a whole lot of interest in this film as it is a mundane film.

If you want to watch a film that explores mundane life, check out Slacker as it is a much better and enjoyable film than this one but if at all curious as a Linklater fan like me, give it a watch.