2024 Show
David Gauvey Herbert & Lance Oppenheim · United States of America · English
A fantastic, hyperreal succession drama about the country’s biggest Renaissance fair
The inherent drama of succession stories has always made for great, entertaining TV. You only have to look at Game of Thrones, Dynasty, Yellowstone, and, well, Succession to know that. With Ren Faire, director Lance Oppenheim (Some Kind of Heaven, Spermworld) ups the ante by following the real and ongoing power struggle between the Renaissance fair employees clawing and scratching their way to the top. They’re so animated and dead-set on inheriting a literal kingdom that Oppenheim and his team hardly have to do anything to color this tale. And yet, color it they do, to wonderfully cinematic and comedic effect. The employees are (willingly) dubbed “Lord of Corn” and “The Fairy Godmother,” while Coulam is of course the longstanding King. You get the sense that their feuds are heightened in the presence of the cameras, but feel entertained nonetheless. To cap things off, the documentary is shot using grainy unfocused film, sometimes edited in the trippy way low-budget 60’s films used to look so that it matches the surreal reality of the fair. The story could’ve been interesting on its own, but the artful and intentional way it’s told elevates it.
When the ailing king of America's largest renaissance festival declares his retirement, an epic power struggle ensues between an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin to claim his throne.
"Oppenheim's version of Ren Faire is both explicitly and implicitly about the pursuit of artistry in the face of commercial interests, and the misfit personas caught up in between..."
— Carrie Battan
"[W]alks that fine line between mocking and celebrating its incredibly unique subjects."
— Brian Tallerico
Follows Texas Renaissance Faire founder George Coulam as he decides who among his colorful, competitive employees is most fit to succeed his throne when he steps down.
The editing, which is a mix of fly-in-the-wall intimacy and, as Variety’s J. Kim Murphy puts it, choreographed reality.
You can tell the Safdie brothers had their hands on this.
Spirit Awards
1 nom
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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