| Roller Derby Queens ... and Kings! |  |
Date: Sunday, 10/15/2006
Time: 3:00 pm
Venue: Lincoln Theatre
Tickets: $9 
Type: Collection of short films
Metro Weekly Rating: 
(4 out of 5)
CRITIC'S PICK!
by Tom Avila
THE TAGLINE FOR the documentary Jam is, ''In 1973, roller derby died... Nobody told them.'' The choice is, like the film itself, both funny and a little bit sad.
Jam
(
) director Mark Woollen can't seem to decide whether he is
paying tribute to or making fun of the American Roller Derby League
(ARDL). Founded in the late 1990s and led by Tim Patten, a man whose
unbridled enthusiasm for the sport is fortunately matched by
apparently unlimited reserves of cash, the ARDL is Patten's attempt
to return roller derby to national prominence. He's gathered together
some of the finest skaters from roller derby's prime, men and women
who clearly long to return to the days when they were household names
and small screen stars. We follow the League over a number of years,
watching as Tim tries time and again to shore up its shaky
foundation, attempting to hold off the failure that feels almost
palpable in every scene.
When Woollen allows his film to move on its own, Jam does that wonderful thing that only truly great documentaries can do. It translates obsession into something graspable by the rest of us. It takes a seemingly ridiculous dream and allows viewers to understand, if only briefly, why someone would risk everything to make it happen. We want Tim to succeed if only because it means that success is possible. We want the League to flourish because it means that maybe we all get more than 15 minutes of fame in this lifetime.
The only moments when Jam falters are when the film tries to assume a cool distance from its subject. You suddenly wonder if you're supposed to be empathizing with these aging hopefuls or if this is all just some big joke. Strange choices for background music, a brief bit of animation intended to explain the sport to roller derby neophytes, and the aforementioned tagline -- when Jam tries to be clever, it loses its heart.
Did roller derby really die in 1973? That seems open for debate, perhaps on the way home from seeing a great documentary on the subject.
Also
playing is the documentary short High Heels on Wheels (
),
which has the kind of polish one would like to see more of in
documentary filmmaking. It's ironic that this quiet and poetic series
of portraits is, like the full length film that it accompanies, about
the rough and rowdy world of roller derby. High Heels focuses
on the women who put on their skates in the '40s and '50s and found
not only a sport that welcomed female athletes, but a provided a safe
space for out lesbians. -- Tom Avila
| More information |
Film Links:
· Reel Affirmations details
· Official film site
· 
Festival Venue:
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U Street, NW; Washington, DC 20009. (202) 328-6000. (map)
Directly across from Green Line Metro / U Street-Cardozo station.
Tickets:
You may buy your tickets or passes in advance: Online at BoxOfficeTickets.com
or by phone at (800) 494-TIXS (494-8497). Or you may visit the Lincoln
Theatre (1215 U Street, NW, WDC); the Landmark's E Street Cinema (555 11th Street, NW);
or Lambda Rising (1625 Connecticut Avenue, NW, WDC).
|
For more info visit the official Reel Affirmations website. |
