That is no easy feat, as there are only a handful of sequences where the bells and whistles of Minsker’s style are not onscreen in some capacity. That it does not entirely overwhelm the audience and actively works towards engaging them is a testament to his skills. The art makes the (more or less) linear narrative of Man In Camo much more interesting, as its visuals do a lot of the heavy lifting. The story has several intense, dramatic moments that are underscored by the relative lack of style. This makes those scenes all the more somber, as the style matches the onscreen action.
However, Man In Camo does have a few minor issues. For one, the first time things get serious, roughly 30-minutes in, it does feel a bit jarring. Once a steady rhythm had been established, all subsequent doleful scenes work. But that first one is not built up enough to make the transition from all style all the time, to single camera interview with stirring score underneath totally work.
“…a non-stop pace that is dizzying, dazzling, and works without distracting from the personal and engaging story…”
Plus, and this is more of personal preference, a bit more of his current private life might have been helpful. Minsker met his wife by handing a fanzine to her. It is a super cute story. But how long after that did they start dating? How long have they been married? What does she do? It might seem odd, as the focus is Ethan Minsker’s life and art, but this is one half of his current life not explored. While her thoughts on his creativity and never-ceasing work ethic are told, downtime is not even hinted at. Plus, Un Lee just cracked me up every time she was interviewed, so maybe I just wanted more of her for that reason.
The first half, so before he moved to NYC, finds a balance between the inspiration for his art and his home life. But as an adult, especially once the Antagonist Movement becomes a thing, it is all work, all the time. That personal side moves to the back burner, so to speak. Minsker’s art is stunning, to be sure, but it is meant to be both elements- life and art- and ignoring one slightly hurts the film.
Man In Camo suffers from a few little issues that prevent the film from being as great as some of Minsker’s other projects. But, it is still a riveting watch that pulls the audience in with both it’s amazing style, utilizing several mediums, and its poignant look at what drives an artist to create. It is absolutely worth watching as soon as you can.
"…only a handful of sequences where the bells and whistles of Minsker’s style are not onscreen"
