I have quietly been looking out for director Gabe Polsky ever since I saw – and LOVED – his feature film directorial debut (a credit he shared with his brother Alan), Motel Life (I reviewed for Ebert – and then interviewed Alan onstage at Ebertfest after the film’s screening). Gabe Polsky, whom I did not meet at Ebertfest, has gone on to direct a series of really REALLY good documentaries – for me, namely, The Red Army and Red Penguins – both of which I have referred to a couple of times over the years. I referenced The Red Army in my Film Comment piece on the “miracle on ice”, about hockey movies (timed for the anniversary of the 1980 American win in Lake Placid). The Red Army is the story of the miracle on ice, told from the Russian side. Polsky is the child of Ukrainian immigrants. He speaks Russian. So he conducts all the interviews himself, traveling through Russia, tracking everyone down. It’s fascinating. About five years later came Red Penguins: here, Polsky’s “voice” is solidfying: he has a real style. I discussed both of these docs on Nic Rapold’s podcast, The Last Thing I Saw, which we filmed during lockdown – I can tell by my voice I’m bouncing off the walls.
I didn’t get into all of this in my review of Polsky’s latest, The Man Who Saves the World?, but that’s the background noise. I dig Polsky’s films. He’s on my radar. This is different from anything he’s done before, but it has that same FEEL, the free-wheeling curious but also a little concerned vibe – which is funny, so honest. Patrick McCollum, the subject of the doc, is not like anyone I’ve ever seen before. I highly recommend it
