Circle the Wagen

Like an anecdote that never seems to end, Circle the Wagen begins promisingly enough but eventually grows tedious and meandering. Ryan Steven Green's comic documentary follows the misadventures of a restless young man, Dave Torstenson, who buys a 1972 Volkswagen van on eBay and then attempts to drive it from the middle of the U.S. to Los Angeles. Naturally, the rusty rig—sporting all of its original parts still under the hood—doesn't stand a chance of getting very far. So Dave, along with his buddy Charlie Pecoraro, decide to leave the van somewhere for a short while—which stretches into four years. Circle the Wagen largely concerns what happens next: the brutally complicated process of trying to drive the now-even-older van to the West Coast and seeing it break down every few miles. The repetitive monotony here is relieved somewhat by the revelation of a dedicated Volkswagen community—guardian angels who seem to appear by magic and keep the vehicle going a little longer on the long slog. But that doesn't really make the film much more interesting, or lend it much-needed direction. Optional, at best. (T. Keogh)