First of all, the documentary is not one. It is called a mockumentary. Directed by Eric Notarnicola, who is passionate about cinema and documentary, the filming happened on location in the San Bernardino and the Los Angeles area. The production team used a mix of non-actors and actors, creating documentary techniques to fake the experience of an actual story unwinding in real-time. The actors improvised each situation, allowing their characters and the story to unfold naturally. The style worked. It was funny and kept me entertained throughout.
The story starts with Tim Heidecker in the final month of his campaign for district attorney. He is an underdog facing an uphill battle that evolves into a delusional, crazy study of Tim’s true motivations and controversial past, unraveling his candidacy.
The movie gets more interesting at this point because Tim has taken on the popular incumbent, Vincent Rosetti, also known in Tim’s mind as “Rosetti the Rat.” Rosetti found Tim and his inexperienced campaign manager, outmatched, low on funds, connections, and experience. Tim doesn’t even have enough signatures to run. He tries hitting the streets as a last-ditch effort to connect to the voters and promises to wipe out all the crime in San Bernardino, but with no avail, he doesn’t win over the community.
His campaign grows by word of mouth, and former friends of Tim warn the public with stories about bad business deals, strained friendships, and a failed court case in which he ended up accused of murder.
He is only days away from the election, and the campaign is free falling. He needs to confront the obvious of pursuing is a delusional dream. The clip below says it all about Tim and his unsuccessful pursuit for office.
