Here's what people are saying about Billy on IMDB:
Hypnotic and simple, this low tech gem is a genre busting documentary that achieves non-fictionally what virtually all of cinema has attempted fictionally: get the boy a soul. Boys in film, from Elliot in ET to the title character in Quixote to Porky's to The Shining's Danny are archetypes searching past Mom and Dad for a little individuality through some form of psychic mayhem. The capstone (tombstone) is the dead Haley Joel Osmet in Sixth Sense. Look carefully, culture uses these kids as rites-of-passage stand-ins, and they endure almost obscene amounts of fear and pain to ascend. News media showcases these boys in real life mostly as hooligans with guns: we reflect on troubled youth as a result of careful CNN headwashing in the aftermath of Columbine and Virginia Tech . Billy is the first documentary film I've ever seen that exhibits a narrative interface with a boy who is clearly from this archetype closet. Billy's polarizing, somewhat fearless and game for any self exploration. In the wrong hands he's a loose cannon, but here he reflects, jokes, espouses and in the lynch-pin moment, gathers the courage to ask a girl out and as we watch the exploration of first love, we realize even as we know this love is momentary, that he's done it, he can never run back to a blank world of just heavy metal and violence. Two women left their beautiful mark on Billy, one was the girl he fell for the other is the director. Truffaut (that made Small Change) and Spielberg wish they had made this.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Billy on sex, love & war...
Just finished the new PSA trailer in time for the LA Film Festival.
With classic moments from the film plus exclusive never before seen footage, hear Billy's thoughts on social justice, politics, the future, and much more!
With classic moments from the film plus exclusive never before seen footage, hear Billy's thoughts on social justice, politics, the future, and much more!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Cinematical and Monika Bartyzel understand Billy
Cinemtatical's take on Billy The Kid:
Jennifer Venditti is a casting director who found herself in Maine, looking for some interesting teenagers for Carter Smith's short film Bugcrush. While scoping out a local high school, she spoke with a group of bullies who told her about a boy they had harassed. Intrigued, she asked who, and they pointed to Billy. Venditti sat down to speak with him, and the moment he spoke, she realized what a special person was sitting across from her. She followed him through his life for a week, gaining a slew of footage that chronicles the angst of a stellar 15-year-old -- footage asking to be molded into a film that became Billy the Kid.
Of course, making a documentary about a 15-year-old boy raises questions about whether Billy is exposed or exploited. Recording adolescence means grabbing all of those awkward and gut-wrenching moments and molding them into a cinematic whole. Superficially, you could question this film for showing all of Billy's highs and lows -- both his happiness and his vulnerability. However, to do so is to miss what Venditti was trying to achieve, and what I believe she succeeded in doing. The film challenges our assumptions and tendency to stereotype while reminding us of just how great it is to be different. Billy has his struggles and his strangeness, but he's also got a large heart and genuine vision that should be celebrated instead of questioned.Watching this documentary is an exercise in restraint -- the restraint not to write down everything that Billy says. His words, a mixture of his thoughts and the media he immerses himself in, are beyond what any of today's most skilled comedians could muster. Just when you think something couldn't be more pure gold, he surprises you with another line. During one scene, the camera records Billy playing a shoot-em-up video game, holding the gun so close to the screen that you can't help but smile. You think that it's a simple scene, but then Billy's words reveal the truth below the surface: "I don't hurt the women. I think it is a sin to hurt the women -- real or fake." The statement is both youthfully naïve and wisely sincere.
These feelings are surely based in his family's struggles. Both Billy and his mother, Penny, talk openly to the camera about her struggles with his abusive, biological father. When Billy expresses his desire to impress his stepfather, who is never seen onscreen, his desperation for male guidance is palpable. However, at the same time, his mother is doing one hell of a job at providing him with guidance and companionship. They have a strong and communicative relationship that covers everything from famous artists to family issues, even while comfortably housed in a "Trucker" tee or sweatpants.
However, the highlight of the relationships explored in the film is Billy's first love interest, a shy and smiling young girl named Heather. Her little brothers inform Billy that she is often teased for her continually racing eyes. This affliction means nothing to the 15-year-old, and it definitely makes you rethink the last time you questioned someone's worth due to minor physical differences. Unfortunately for the burgeoning couple, Billy's at the height of excitement and adolescent lust, so he's not too keen on the art of patience. As he zooms forward, full speed ahead, you can't help but groan and cringe. You root for him; you shake your head when you know he will do the wrong thing; and you understand why.
Venditti's vérité shots let the story do the talking, and capture all those fleeting moments that could be missed in a blink, like the way Billy's eyes dance around Heather, desperate to think of something to say. The shots are unobtrusive and inviting, which undoubtedly helps to fuel the rollercoaster of Billy's emotions. He is, by no means, a perfect individual, but that's what makes him perfect. He's real. He feels upset and angry just as much as he feels loving and protective. Billy reminds us that there are many grains of sand that go into the bottle of life. Just as many types of people should be celebrated for what they can offer, no small bit should be taken as the answer for a larger whole.
Jennifer Venditti is a casting director who found herself in Maine, looking for some interesting teenagers for Carter Smith's short film Bugcrush. While scoping out a local high school, she spoke with a group of bullies who told her about a boy they had harassed. Intrigued, she asked who, and they pointed to Billy. Venditti sat down to speak with him, and the moment he spoke, she realized what a special person was sitting across from her. She followed him through his life for a week, gaining a slew of footage that chronicles the angst of a stellar 15-year-old -- footage asking to be molded into a film that became Billy the Kid.
Of course, making a documentary about a 15-year-old boy raises questions about whether Billy is exposed or exploited. Recording adolescence means grabbing all of those awkward and gut-wrenching moments and molding them into a cinematic whole. Superficially, you could question this film for showing all of Billy's highs and lows -- both his happiness and his vulnerability. However, to do so is to miss what Venditti was trying to achieve, and what I believe she succeeded in doing. The film challenges our assumptions and tendency to stereotype while reminding us of just how great it is to be different. Billy has his struggles and his strangeness, but he's also got a large heart and genuine vision that should be celebrated instead of questioned.Watching this documentary is an exercise in restraint -- the restraint not to write down everything that Billy says. His words, a mixture of his thoughts and the media he immerses himself in, are beyond what any of today's most skilled comedians could muster. Just when you think something couldn't be more pure gold, he surprises you with another line. During one scene, the camera records Billy playing a shoot-em-up video game, holding the gun so close to the screen that you can't help but smile. You think that it's a simple scene, but then Billy's words reveal the truth below the surface: "I don't hurt the women. I think it is a sin to hurt the women -- real or fake." The statement is both youthfully naïve and wisely sincere.
These feelings are surely based in his family's struggles. Both Billy and his mother, Penny, talk openly to the camera about her struggles with his abusive, biological father. When Billy expresses his desire to impress his stepfather, who is never seen onscreen, his desperation for male guidance is palpable. However, at the same time, his mother is doing one hell of a job at providing him with guidance and companionship. They have a strong and communicative relationship that covers everything from famous artists to family issues, even while comfortably housed in a "Trucker" tee or sweatpants.
However, the highlight of the relationships explored in the film is Billy's first love interest, a shy and smiling young girl named Heather. Her little brothers inform Billy that she is often teased for her continually racing eyes. This affliction means nothing to the 15-year-old, and it definitely makes you rethink the last time you questioned someone's worth due to minor physical differences. Unfortunately for the burgeoning couple, Billy's at the height of excitement and adolescent lust, so he's not too keen on the art of patience. As he zooms forward, full speed ahead, you can't help but groan and cringe. You root for him; you shake your head when you know he will do the wrong thing; and you understand why.
Venditti's vérité shots let the story do the talking, and capture all those fleeting moments that could be missed in a blink, like the way Billy's eyes dance around Heather, desperate to think of something to say. The shots are unobtrusive and inviting, which undoubtedly helps to fuel the rollercoaster of Billy's emotions. He is, by no means, a perfect individual, but that's what makes him perfect. He's real. He feels upset and angry just as much as he feels loving and protective. Billy reminds us that there are many grains of sand that go into the bottle of life. Just as many types of people should be celebrated for what they can offer, no small bit should be taken as the answer for a larger whole.
Friday, May 11, 2007
INDIEPIX EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Associate Producer Danielle DiGiacomo conducted an interview with Billy, Director Jennifer Venditti, and Producer Chiemi Karasawa at the SXSW Film Festival, recently posted on INDIEPIX
Billy's trip to Austin was his first time on an airplane. He admitted that the ride was rough on his sinuses and he has always hated flying, but as with any vacation, he wished it had lasted longer and accepted the ordeal of traveling. The evening of his premiere party he uttered his classic toast, Pepsi in hand, "To a night to remember."
Billy's trip to Austin was his first time on an airplane. He admitted that the ride was rough on his sinuses and he has always hated flying, but as with any vacation, he wished it had lasted longer and accepted the ordeal of traveling. The evening of his premiere party he uttered his classic toast, Pepsi in hand, "To a night to remember."
From the Director of the Devil & Daniel Johnston...
"Billy” joyfully leads us through the existential forest to a clearing where ROCK can save your life. A truly rare fantastic documentary film on every level."
- Jeff Feuerzeig - Director, The Devil and Daniel Johnston
- Jeff Feuerzeig - Director, The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Monday, April 23, 2007
Hot Docs Opening Party
The crowd in Toronto is so special--this is a community of people who really believe in films and it's been an honor sharing Billy The Kid.
A snapshot of Filmmaker Jennifer Venditti and Producer Chiemi Karasawa from the opening festivites @ Hot Docs.
Joel Heller from Docs That Inspire with Jennifer Venditti
Jennifer Vendtitti introduces Billy The Kid
A snapshot of Filmmaker Jennifer Venditti and Producer Chiemi Karasawa from the opening festivites @ Hot Docs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)