Gates of Heaven
Errol Morris' first film. The movie that caused Werner Herzog to eat his shoe. Roger Ebert put the film on his list of the Ten Greatest Films of All Time. Many people have considered it the movie responsible for a revitalization of the documentary film. I find it a very good film, but prefer many of Morris' subsequent films even more.
If you are a fan of Morris and you have not seen it, you should see it, and you probably would see it no matter what I were to say. It's actually a lot more understated and simple than any of his later films. The cameras sit still on characters without any strange angles or staged or stock footage that he likes to add in some of his later films. I don't think we ever hear Morris' voice asking questions. I don't even remember there being much music, although there might be some. I think I read another review that mentioned something about how it's a subject that is ripe for making fun of, but Morris brings it to us in a very simple and straightforward way. I think that's how you could describe a lot of the best documentaries as well.
The reason I just can't give this the highest rating is that there are some moments that are a lot more interesting than others. Some characters beg for you to hear more from them. And some seem to go on a little too long. The highlight is this unusual old woman sitting on the steps of her front door talking about her son and some other things. I don't even know what she had to do with the rest of the film but she is one of the most interesting things in it. She didn't fit and yet she was the best thing in it. What does that say? I'm not too sure.
Rating: 8/10