Plaster Caster

Rather like the subject herself this is more a curio than a particularly rounded enterprise. It also starts rather slowly, although this is the non flashy style chosen for the documentary and as it progresses we see the wisdom of playing this all rather dead pan. By the time we have discovered that the now mid 50 year old Cynthia is more interesting than we first thought and that maybe the plaster cocks are imbued with some significance we have Camille Paglia making good sense and a New York gallery preparing an exhibition. Everyone is likable, the old rock people talking about their castings 30 years before, the young bloods giving it a go now and the ladies of the past giving us a glimpse of the world of the groupie all that long time ago. But likable despite everything is Cynthia herself as she struggles with her landlady, her distant mother and her pots of plaster. 'And what will you be wearing?' asks a prospective candidate, with a leer and it is clear that dressing sexy had never even occurred to her. And yes the Hendrix anecdote is priceless.

PLASTER CASTER is one of the most engaging and entertaining documentaries I've seen in the past couple of years. In the hands of a less gifted filmmaker, this could have been a completely tawdry and simplistic movie, but director Jessica Villines has made a classy and intelligent portrait of a unique artist.

Cynthia herself is a difficult person to figure out, but is thus endlessly fascinating. It's as if she's still stuck in the mindset of a 14-year-old rock groupie even though she's now in her mid-fifties. She also appears to give no consideration to the ramifications of her work. She's been making plaster casts of rock stars' penises for 30 years, but it's only now that she gets her first gallery showing? But you do have to give her credit for her excellent taste in music: the Buzzcocks, MC5, the Dead Kennedys, Mudhoney and Jimi Hendrix, just to name a few of the bands/people she's either casted or at least asked.

The film itself is also brilliantly constructed and avoids the many pitfalls that most documentaries fall into. Director Villines doesn't force any kind of viewpoint on her subject and treats Cynthia with tremendous respect. We learn more about Cynthia as a person rather than glorifying or just luridly focusing on her controversial artwork. The film is incredibly intelligent, but is totally unpretentious and an awful lot of fun.

Also featuring some great camerawork and a totally rockin' soundtrack, PLASTER CASTER has definitely earned a place among the greatest rock 'n' roll documentaries ever made.