Crazy Love

Entertaining and mildly provoking film documents the weird highs and strange lows associated with a decades-long bizarre courtship of one Linda Pugach by her mildly insane husband Burt. Simultaneously amusing and depressing, the progressively ridiculous reality these two ill-fated lovers found themselves in is enough to warrant viewing. Making great use of archival footage, the filmmakers really hit their stride near the end, when laying out the skewed romantic timelessness which pervades the Pugach's interactions. The film does take some time to build viewer interest (supposing you were too young to remember this in the headlines) but when it does get particularly interesting near the end, rarely does studying the brilliant intricacies of human irony feel more poetic.

This may be the most amazing true-life documentary I've ever seen. If it wasn't all true, I'd never believe it. Who would? This is an insane "love story," and it really happened. Ask the citizens of New York City who lived through this tabloid story. I'm sure they couldn't believe it, either, but it was headline news in their area for quite a while.

I hesitate to say too much for those who haven't watched this, but I highly recommend this DVD. The filmmakers did an outstanding job in presenting all the major figures in this fascinating tale of twisted lovers....and "twisted" is putting it mildly, especially in regard to the chief male: Burt Pugach, who is one of the most despicable no-conscience people I've ever seen. If you have a low opinion of lawyers, you'll really appreciate this story! The female part of this bizarre "love" story is Linda Riis. She's the first person you see on camera and, from the first sentence on, you think incredulously "who is this?!" The weird sunglasses, eyebrows, obvious wig and brutally-frank New York directness and accent hits you like a truck. Her story, and from her perspective, is the most amazing of them all. Everyone else that follows - Burt and Linda's friends and associates - are almost as riveting. These are all real people, not actors.

Trust me: you have to see this to believe it. If crazy people, obsession, romance, crime, loneliness, comedy, etc., are all something you find entertaining, this documentary has all of it. It might also disgust you that human beings can be so pathetic.

I couldn't stop shaking my head in disbelief after this watching this documentary. Kudos to everyone involved in this film for a job very well done.

So well done, capturing the above-ground kind of rationale that tries to exculpate horrible behavior as normalcy. This showcases the kind of hat trick that attempts to make apartheid and brutality acceptable, rationale behavior. Sadly, accepted in certain cultural circles but nonetheless is still unequivocal evil. This should be used to illustrate and teach how pathology and selfishness can be romanticized as mythic. Truly- love does not conquer all nor does it excuse the means to the end. It is stunning that this man was not identified as the sociopath that he is and permanently removed from society.

The victim, Linda, who ends up married to the guy did not say in this documentary that she loved the man who paid someone to disfigure her and then years later married her. He disfigured her face, her beautiful eyes and ruined her life as much as possible without actually killing her. To me it is obvious he is a narcissist because he never really admits any GUILT over ANY of his BAD VERY BAD actions. Dating her when he was married, obviously he's about 8-9 years older than her. She never had sex with him, and it was 'hinted' but not stated outright that finally in her mid-30s after she'd been disfigured she was planning to lose her virginity, finally! to another guy, but when that guy saw her eyes not hidden behind dark glasses, he freaked. The one man she thought loved her (not Burt) broke off their engagement after she got out of the hospital after the acid attack. This woman was STRONG WILLED. To be blind to the point where she could only see light/dark and 'shapes' and yet walk to work, in a big city, without a seeing eye dog or even a white cane, shows her strength. But by the time Burt got out of jail, Linda had been single, and living alone, for years. She had no one, no money, barely surviving in a one-room 'apartment'. AND there's Burt, still relentlessly telling her he loves her, and asking for her forgiveness. So she has a love/hate relationship with him, what's new about that? She tells him 'if you love me send me money'... and although he was still in jail at the time, he was selling his lawyering services to the inmates and two weeks later she's got a certified check from him for $4,000.00... in early 1970-71. That was BIG money for that time. Enough time has passed that she has 'gotten over' what he did to her, as much as one could, and she no longer hates him. Hate is a strong emotion, and very draining, just like infatuation. (I think infatuation, not love, is the flip side of hate.) So he's out of jail, paid his 'debt to society' (as he said) and she wants some respite from her life of not-much. So she marries him. Odd, maybe, but not 'weird'. She doesn't love him, and he, purportedly, does love her (in his narcissistic way). I understand why she married him. Although he never stopped being a liar/cheat (he's a narcissist), he does seem to take care of her, and finally, that's better than living alone, struggling to survive financially with an overwe'ening sense of loneliness. Maybe his punishment is having to take care of the woman he supposedly loved and yet injured so seriously. Who knows. Life is short and difficult. So she took comfort from her enemy. Move along, people, nothing (new) to see here. Very well done documentary! I was surprised it kept my interest, but it did.

An absolutely riveting documentary about two of the strangest people I've met on film. Such an interesting look into the obsessive side of relationships. I saw it at Sundance and was floored. Complex characters brought to life through masterful use of archival footage. It speaks volumes about the lengths people will go to 'have someone'. Clearly made with subtlety and skill by a talented group of filmmakers. Proves once again that real life is so much more interesting than the vast majority of fiction we see on the big screen. Hopefully the version for television isn't a shorter version as you need time to understand the complexities. Don't miss this film...