Dir. Matt Ferrin & James P. Gannon
A documentary following four participants in a demolition derby.
Perhaps its the Southern in me that has always really enjoyed demolition derbies. There's something so satisfying about watching people take these commodities that people use for their livelihoods, their transportation, or even just as status symbols and tearing them to pieces for the entertainment of an audience. It's gladiatorial, a pit filled with combatants where only one walks away alive, the cheering fans pumping adrenaline through the warriors in the ring like the transmission fluid flowing through the car's, uh, transmission. Maybe I'm getting a bit too romantic about it, but you get my point.
Wrecked a Bunch of Cars, Had a Good Time is a documentary from filmmakers Matt Ferrin and James P. Gannon about one such event, following four participants as they prepare for, and compete in, a demolition derby. It's a tiny window into a strange underworld that most people don't even know exists, a gathering where all pretense is cast aside and people just want to hear large metal objects smash together at high speed. I hate to run the gladiator analogy into the ground like the participants do their cars, but it's really an apt descriptor: the winners and losers are determined by when the wheels come off the chariots, or perhaps not as we see from one particular competitor.
My dad always told me that some of the happiest people in the world come home with dirt under their fingers. It's a lesson more folks should learn, that the key to happiness is doing things that you love with the people you care about, not making increasing amounts of money or buying the fanciest gizmo your paycheck can afford. You don't need power, you need joy. You need to be able to share the things that matter to you with the people that matter to you. Wrecked is this tenant on full display, an excellent representation of a bunch of people with nothing better to do that want to do it together.
All in all, Wrecked is a fun little short offering a view behind the scenes, nostalgic for a time when the events were all the rage and one in which the joy of the people running these cars is wholly evident. In a world with so much chaos and discord, it's nice to remember that sometimes it's okay for people to come together and just have a good time, no matter how dumb the pastime may be on the surface. It's about sacrifice and passion, the willingness to risk life and limb just for the pure pleasure of doing something that you love. Everybody needs a hobby, I suppose, and as long as they're willing to put their bodies on the line for something that they love, there will always be an audience.
Who this movie is for: Short film fans, Documentary appreciators, People who fucking hate cars
Bottom line: Wrecked a Bunch of Cars, Had a Good Time is one of the most appropriately titled films of all time. It's so much fun to watch these competitors enjoying themselves in a "sport" that has waned in popularity over the decades but still brings them happiness. Ferrin and Gannon deliver an infinitely watchable short that's quirky and entertaining, and it makes you want to go out and drive a car backwards. Can't ask for a whole lot more than that.
