I first was introduced to the work of Alex Karpovsky back in 2006 when The Hole Story was screened at the Minneapolis/St Paul International Film Festival. The Hole Story was an incredibly unique film that seamlessly melded fiction and non-fiction into a wonderfully funny and melancholy story about one man’s dream to try and make a pilot for his television show.

With Woodpecker Karpovsky once again uses his unique style of mixing fact and fiction, this time focusing on the fervor surrounding the sightings of the previously presumed extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the bayous of eastern Arkansas. Following one ardent bird watcher (Jon Hyrns) as he attempts to become the first person to definitively prove the elusive birds existence, Karpovsky also interviews many of the locals who are both thankful and frustrated by the birds sudden reappearance.

One of the primary talents of Karpovsky is in his ability to recreate moments that are so easily identifiable to anyone who has struggled to achieve anything in their life. As a result the film certainly feels true, and at times deeply personal, even if many of the scenes were scripted or manipulated.

But as strong as Karpovsky’s directorial skills were, they were greatly enhanced by an outstanding performance by Hyrns who time and again carried the film on his existential back. Johnny is an avid bird watcher who desperately wants to capture on film the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, not so much for his own fame, but simply to be a part of such a positive and monumental find. His goal is to simply have a purpose, and with each frame you come to desperately hope he discovers all that he is searching for.

Framing this tragi-comedy is interviews and news footage of locals in the area as they try and understand just what such a previously inconsequential fowl now means to the area. In such a poor region, the massive amount of exposure has led directly to a huge influx of tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the reclusive “Lord God Bird”. With environmentalists fighting to protect a bird that may no longer exist, hunters trying to protect land that previously was theirs, and local entrepreneurs simply trying to find a means to survive, it leads to a caustic and odd mix of individuals converging upon the area. It is a fascinating and complex tale, and Karpovsky does a wonderful job of allowing all viewpoints to be properly articulated.

But beyond the story of a man looking for a purpose in life, or a once forgotten bird attempting a comeback, Woodpecker is also a story about perception versus reality. Each side of the story has their own unique perspective, and each believes their perspective to be true. The goal of Woodpecker is not to convince you that any one perspective is correct, but rather that each of them has value. From the birdwatchers to the townsfolk to the arsonists … well, maybe not all of them have value. But one thing is for sure, Woodpecker’s perspective is all too often dead on, original and painfully funny.

Woodpecker (Original Site) will be screening on Saturday, October 11th at 7pm as part of the Flyway Film Festival. For ticket information and a complete film schedule, visit the Flyway Film Festival website for complete details.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 1:14 pm and is filed under Features, Independent Indies, Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.