‘Film Geek’ Review – Movies Are Great, You Guys

Some of us may only see one or two movies a year, and think nothing of it, but film is such a powerful medium that even those few visits can shape your understanding of the world around you and all you value. Then there are others like director Richard Shepard whose latest documentary focuses on his childhood, his relationship with his father, and his movie-obsessed life that shaped the very person he would become.

If you’re not obsessed with movies like we are, what Shepard shows and describes will sound pretty unhealthy to you, but very relatable to the rest of us. Shepard takes us back to his youth growing up in New York. His mother was a dutiful wife and mother, his father, a mysterious but loving dad, and together, they would always go to the movies. Much like a young Steven Spielberg, Shepard was transformed by what he witnessed on screen. It was an escape like no other, a drug he couldn’t get enough of, and it consumed his every being. 

Most won’t understand this obsession, and some will dismiss it entirely, but for those in the film fan community, this is completely understandable. And Shepard had it better than most. He grew up in the 70s when movie palaces still existed, when films would run for months on end, when concessions only cost a quarter, and film magazines were just as enticing to read as comic books. In his film, Shepard takes us back in time to relive some of the greatest films ever made and even some of the worst (Sorry, Cujo), but with enough reverence for each that it feels like you’re right next to him in the theater entranced by the wonder of cinema.

Along with that, Shepard uses this time to talk about his father. How he would actively participate in Shepard’s own home movies, how he had a sketchy job that involved people knowing him by different names, and he even tells a story of how his dad stopped a purse snatcher with his mom as the wheelman. It’s all fascinating, but the ultimate goal of the documentary is to understand how film makes us, shapes us, and informs aspects of our identity.

For Shepard, it not only made him obsessive, but it fueled his passion for his own filmmaking dreams. He would go on to make his own films such as 2005’s The Matador starring Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye) and  2018’s The Perfection starring Allison Williams (Get Out). He would also do a documentary on John Cazale, the legendary actor who only starred in five films that all turned out to be Best Picture nominees, former partner of Meryl Streep, who passed away at the early age of 43 due to cancer. In this, he got to interview some of his idols of cinema past. 

Film Geek will make you want to pick up a pen and start writing your screenplay, grab your camera and start filming, or run to your local cinema and appreciate the art you’re witnessing both good and bad. Shepard uses over 200 clips from films and even takes a deep dive into a few that will be spoilery if you’ve never seen them, and insightful if you have. Shepard’s approach isn’t just to be reverent of these films, but to discover how it shaped his own filmmaking style and cinematic eye. It is also there to highlight what films have made all of us, and how it changes depending on the time you lived through and the life you had. Whether it was two parents at home who loved going to the movies, or the ones you could only see at your friend’s house because his dad had a VCR, or the ones you discovered on television when you finally got cable. No matter the case, we were all shaped by the films we saw in our youth and they’ve taught us the lessons we still carry with us today, like all good (and bad) films should.

Film Geek is currently playing at the Film Forum in New York City.