Subject Versus Approach at Cinevegas

Two different docs demonstrate how best to approach quirky subjects without getting twee.

Another doc at CineVegas that has to be viewed with an eye toward Michael Moore’s filmmography is Ben Steinbauer’s “Winnebago Man.” Like “Beetle Queen,” it’s the story of an unusual obsession: Steinbauer, a film professor at the University of Texas, became so consumed with curiosity about a legendary four-and-a-half minute compilation tape of profane outtakes from an industrial video for the Winnebago company (sample line of dialogue: “Now listen, I’ve gotta give a clue here now, I don’t want anymore bullshit any time during the day from ANYONE! That includes ME!”), that he spent years searching for its foul-mouthed subject. When he finally finds the so-called “angriest Winnebago salesman in the world,” a Mr. Jack Rebney, he’s living alone in a cabin in the woods, seemingly oblivious and indifferent to his newfound stardom. Ultimately, we learn there’s more to Rebney’s story than meets the eye — and that’s Steinbauer’s point, that behind those goofy clips we so love to watch on YouTube are living breathing people who didn’t ask for celebrity and might not want it.

Like Moore in his earliest work, Steinbauer had no choice but to put himself into his film; after all, a chase isn’t very interesting if someone isn’t actively doing the chasing. And like early Moore, he’s both a lovably disheveled protagonist, not to mention a wholesome foil to his more vulgar co-star. Eventually Steinbauer’s relationship with Rebney becomes something much deeper than filmmaker and subject, a questionable choice when considering documentary ethics, but one that feels like humanitarian charity when you see the impact Ben makes on Jack’s life. Along the way, Steinbauer uses the popularity of the Winnebago Man clip and others like it as a platform to examine why as a culture we’re less and less interested in the news and more and more interested in “reality,” in internet videos like these.

Yet despite its topicality, humanity and strong sense of humor, it’s hard to decide just where “Winnebago Man” might find an audience. It’s probably too profane for some arthouse crowds, and not quite profane enough for others. Rebney is a lovable scoundrel but he’s also a bit of a mystery, pointedly refusing to answer Steinbauer’s more personal questions, denying us the right to the intimate details that social networking has conditioned us to believe should be common knowledge. It, like “Beetle Queen,” boldly defies expectations. But will they defy the odds and earn the theatrical releases they both deserve?

“Beetle Queen Versus Tokyo” and “Winnebago Man” are currently without theatrical distribution.

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