STATE LEGISLATURE 



To put it simply, State Legislature, the latest documentary from the prolific yet little-known American master Frederick Wiseman, is about how the democratic process is undertaken by and within an institution. While it would've been ideal if the 77-year-old filmmaker had elected to depict an establishment more diversiform and, dare I say, pertinent than the Idaho Legislature, in this day and age its hard not to appreciate the subversiveness of the act which displays a bunch of white middle-class individuals -- largely men/Republicans -- of moderate intelligence truly caring for their own. Even though the television critic of The New York Times inexplicably found them to be "claims of absolute banality," the Rocky Mountain states legislative branch is primarily made up of part-time "citizen legislators," who, after serving a term or two, go back to their normal routine. ("For me, the drama lies in the commonness of the issues, in the ordinariness of the people called on to resolve them, and the seriousness with which they accept the responsibility for participating in decisions that affect all aspects of our lives" [Wiseman].) Shot in the state capital of Boise during the annual 12-week session in 2004, this 3 hour and 37 minute work was compiled from over 160 hours of 16mm footage, a substantial amount even for Wiseman and his longtime DP John Davey. As usual, the filmmakers mode is strictly observational; no narration or interviews (similar to C-Span, but to actively pursue a correlation would be akin to an insult of Wisemans graceful yet complex formalism). And that neutrality of approach harmoniously links us as various bills are introduced and discussed by people from all walks of life. State Legislature may not be as important a institution-related Wiseman effort as, say, Hospital (1970) or Juvenile Court (1973), but its still one of the better and more fascinating documentaries of the year.

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*The film had its international premiere at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival.