Filmmaker A.D. Calvo continues his focus with sculptor Daniel Edwards with this 23-minute documentary, which is actually a trio of mini-episodes from Edwards’ work.
First in the collection is a repeat: Calvo’s entertaining 2006 10-minute effort “The Several Severed Heads of Daniel Edwards.” This offering details Edwards’ curious obsession with decapitated skulls and shows how he built a career out of this weird fancy.
Next up is “Hillary’s Bust,” which finds Edwards finishing a bust of a topless Hillary Clinton. This is actually scarier than the bit on the severed heads. In case you ever wondered what the junior senator from New York looks like without a top, you came to the right place.
The final piece is “Castro in Central Park,” where Edwards speaks about his plans to create a new statue for display in New York’s Central Park. Whatever fondness Edwards has for the Cuban leader is clearly not shared by many people. The sculpture eventually gets shipped to Miami’s Little Havana, where it is “deconstructed” in a raucous public ceremony.
Throughout the episodes, Edwards’ deadpan personality weighs in sharp contrast to the brilliantly twisted works of art he is creating. Calvo does a marvelous job in keeping the balance between art and madness, and the resulting flick is a triumph.
