45365

This documentary offers an unconventional look at life in the small-town of Sidney, OH (the zip code accounts for the odd title). Sidney is the hometown of filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross, who follow several citizens as they go about their daily business. Somewhat akin to famed cinema vérité documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman's Belfast, Maine, the sibling directors' handheld-shot, mostly fly-on-the-wall approach differs mainly in that the pair avoid long takes in favor of short sequences strung together into a five-part suite. The time period here encompasses nine months, with subjects including cops, political figures, and football players, and locales such as a barbershop, a county fair, and a courtroom. Snatches of conversations range from a teenage girl talking to her boyfriend on her cell phone to a disc jockey arguing with a listener about The Who's “Squeeze Box” (the latter claims the title refers to a vibrator, the former insists it concerns an accordion, adding the un-PC observation, “You're retarded, man”). Other memorable moments include an Elvis impersonator performing in pouring rain and a group of teens toilet-papering a house on Halloween night. Avoiding narration in favor of montage, 45365 offers an intriguing meditative look at small-town life. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)