Nobody's Business

You'd think that filmmaker Alan Berliner would take the hint when his 77-year-old father, Oscar, points out to him--rather vehemently--"you're boring the shit out of me." Nope. Alan just tosses some boxing footage on the screen to alert the viewer that what we have here is a little father-son tête à tête and then plunges ahead with his attempts to draw his dad out on the story of a life that is, in Oscar's opinion, "terribly unimportant" and "nobody's business" to boot. An unconventional biography, to be sure, this confrontational, yet ultimately collaborative, homage to Berliner's father finds the dutiful, curious son traveling to Poland looking for ancestors' graves, poring over microfilm at the LDS library in Salt Lake City, interviewing not only first and second, but even third cousins, all to bring a veritable treasure trove of genealogical jewels to lay at his father's feet. Of course, Oscar is not the most gracious acceptor of these gifts initially ("who the hell cares?"), but as the film progresses, he does address his Army years during WWII ("best years of my life"), his marriage to a much younger exotic woman ("this marriage was not made in heaven"), and the lonely life he led after the marriage ended in divorce some 17 years and two children later. It's a fascinating multi-generational dance in which, as one relative puts it, "an irresistible force [Alan] meets an immovable object [Oscar]." In the rather small arena of fine father-son documentaries, Nobody's Business is a genuine contender that delivers more than a few knockout punches to the heart (and the funny bone). Highly recommended. Two other documentaries by Alan Berliner are also available for the same price, Intimate Stranger and The Family Album (or all three for $74.95). Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)