Directed by Terry Zwigoff, chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist who drew Keep on Truckin’, Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man’s subconscious mind. Also starring: Aline Kominsky, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb, Robert Hughes and Martin Müller.
The easiest thing to say about Crumb is that it’s following the life of a cartoonist with highly controversial work so if you’re not open to that discussion about perversion versus sexual freedom and imagination, this isn’t going to be for you. It is exceptionally open and honest, at times giving out a lot of personal information which probably did not need to be told. There’s no filters or glamorisation at work here, Robert Crumb may have found success or fame with his work but his world is still as messy as his mind.
Terry Zwigoff nicely reflects that with the documentary, he instils the wild, vibrant quality of Crumb’s work, along with his unapologetic attitude. Especially with the help of Victor Livingston’s editing, bringing the images to life while also discussing their origins. Although it becomes more rooted in the everyday as time goes on. Ultimately the tone has an almost melancholic edge, with the world moving forward but Crumb reticent to accept change. Making him a curmudgeon type, looking down on the next generation while glorifying the past. As well as briefly touching upon his traumatic childhood, which adds a surprisingly dark note.
However, along the way there’s also plenty of areas to delve into with his work and it’s interesting to see Zwigoff bring through talking heads who don’t all view it in a positive light. That’s one of the more refreshing things, that it is willing to see both sides of the conversation. Particularly when it comes to how sexually driven his work is, and how that even extends to genuinely disturbing territory at times. Although he is remarkably honest about his resentments towards women and how that influenced his artistic choices, often in a violent manner.
Crumb delves deep into the life and work of a genuinely strange man. It can be controversial, disturbed, fascinating, off-the-cuff and take you off guard with its honesty. Some of which is positive and other moments can be uncomfortable to watch, at times feeling like these men could have used some real help. It portrays a very wide range of sexual obsession, and it’s something to be grateful for that it included several women’s perspectives, otherwise this could have felt quite dour. It’s not really a film for everyone, it’s certainly niche but there’s a lot of personality at work and it’s an interesting debate about artistic license and how artist’s work can be driven by their own desires and pain, consciously or subconsciously.
FilmCarnage.com 