Director Brian Fender's documentary is built around a pretty simple premise: the filmmaker used Craigslist to attract more than 60 male volunteers of various ages (21 to 80) and professions (monk, ex-marine, designer) to show and talk about their penises on camera at his home. Filming the men anonymously (viewers only witness a few brief glimpses of anything above the neck, or hear names), Fender intercuts photos from textbooks and art as he asks some hard questions that lead to revealing comments. Topics covered include naming their penises, circumcision, initial awareness, first sexual experiences, masturbation, exhibitionism, piercing, the question of whether size matters, relationships, medical issues, and disappointment. Not surprisingly, plenty of rationalizing is served up throughout the interviews, but also some laughter, tearful stories, and examples of those who are simply comfortable in their own skin (“Wouldn't it be nice if it were not such a huge deal?”). For more adventurous collections (although after about the 30th participant, the visual shock value pretty much wears off), this unique documentary is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Williams-Wood)
Dick
(2014) 60 min. DVD: $19.95. IndiePix (avail. from most distributors). Volume 30, Issue 2
Dick
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