Reel Paradise

During work on their 1997 IFC television series Split Screen, producers John and Janet Pierson visited the 180 Meridian Cinema, a broken-down movie theater on the remote Fiji island of Taveuni, where John—a restless figure weary of the indie film scene he helped create—witnessed loud enthusiasm from an audience for a Three Stooges short. That event inspired him to move his wife Janet and their children Georgia and Wyatt from their New York City home to Taveuni, where John spent the next year showing movies for free at the 180 Meridian to exuberant native Fijians. Reel Paradise, directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams), captures the final dramatic month of the Piersons' life far from home, after John has rediscovered the primal appeal of movie spectacle to audiences, Janet has befriended families in their village, and free-spirited Georgia and Wyatt have coped with being enrolled in a Catholic school. Most interesting is a contrast between the innocent perspective of John's audiences toward film, and the self-consciousness of the Piersons as they argue, play, work, and generally live a life that they're fully aware is becoming a movie. As real life and reel life blur confusingly for the Piersons, it's refreshing to see 180 Meridian audiences appearing so innocently unguarded and happy in their palace of dreams. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Steve James and costar Janet Pierson, 16 minutes of deleted scenes, the 11-minute IFC Channel featurette “Split Screen: Fiji Stooges,” a four-minute alternate ending, filmmaker bios, a list of the movies shown at the cinema, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid documentary.] (T. Keogh)