Tao Ruspoli's MONOGAMISH continues the everlasting search for what works best re marriage, love, sex, kids and all the rest

A not-uninteresting combination of visual/verbal confessional, educational films from the 1940s and 50s, other archival snippets from film and TV, the filmmaker's family history, along with that of the idea of marriage itself, and talking-head interviews with sociologists, marriage counselors and advice columnists, MONOGAMISH, a new, four-years-in-the-making documentary from Tao Ruspoli (shown two photos below), reopens (once again) that seemingly eternal discussion of whether or not monogamy really works and is the best resolution for folk who are in love, want to marry and start a family -- or who would simply rather fuck for awhile, before moving on to greener, or at least other, pastures.

Now, if you're anything like me, you had your first discussion about all this during college (for TrustMovies, that took place back in the late 50s/early 60s), and the same subject reared its fascinating head again during the late 1960s with the hippie crowd and its anything-goes sexuality, and then the following decade with the me-generation, its swingers and the explosion of the porn industry.

Part of the charm -- and, yes, it must be also said, the naivete -- of this documentary arrives, for us old folk, at least, from the realization that, oh-oh, here it comes again: that old question, Does monogamy work? Of course not, or not very well. But, as one of the many quotes from the famous featured in the film (and paraphrased here) reminds us, monogamy may not work well, but it's the better than anything else we've got. Or is it?

By the surprising, amusing and fairly jaw-dropping finale of this film, much of what you've seen and considered will be called into question. (No answers will be provided, however, for that would require a re-visit to or by Rispoli in perhaps another ten years.). This filmmaker first arrived on my map some eight years ago, with his narrative movie (done in documentary style) called Fix, which was unusual and great fun, too. Since then he has concentrated on documentaries, none of which I've seen -- until this one. One of the reasons for his making this film was the split from his significant other, actress Olivia Wilde, and its repercussions.

The talking  heads from past and present includes everyone from the right-wing uber-idiot, George Putnam to the sensible and quite easy-to-take gay columnist Dan Savage (above), who is clearly a good friend of Ruspoli whom the director turns to for help in his time of need. As his film tackles monogamy and its discontents, it also explores history, women as property, and the rise of feminism. As one fellows asks in the course of the film, "Do you want to overturn thousands of years of civilization?" No, but maybe thousands of years of patriarchy, yes.

Along the way we get a great quote about marriage and second marriage from Oscar Wilde, a lovely poem by William Butler Yeats, interviews with a number of folk who are experimenting with what we used to call "alternate life styles" (above). The director even includes a little narrative interpolation featuring a hitchhiker (below) and the lucky pair who pick her up.

The movie may be all over the place, but it manages to -- yet, again -- raise enough interesting questions about an old, old subject to hold our attention. And that ending, a humdinger, does indeed make the trip both thought-provoking and worthwhile. And please, Tao, let us know what happens here. (Since the movie was finished back in 2014, I suspect that plenty has already occurred.)

From Mangu.tv/Mangusta Productions and running a lean 74 minutes, the movie opens tomorrow, Friday, October 13, and will expand to wide release in November. Theaters? Well, in New York City, it's playing at the Roxy Cinema in Tribeca. That's all I know so far....

ÉVOCATEUR: Kramer/Miller/Newberger's film offers Morton Downey Jr. in all his gory

It was supposedly 1775 when the words "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel" were first uttered (by Samuel Johnson, according to Boswell), but they came to my mind while watching the documentary horror story of Morton Downey, Jr. titled ÉVOCATEUR: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie and brought to ugly, noisy life by a trio of filmmakers who appear to work together well and fairly often. Shown below, from left to right, are Seth Kramer, Jeremy Newberger and Daniel A. Miller, and if TrustMovies is not jumping up and down in praise of their work, it is most likely because they have brought their subject to life in all his ugly, gory glory so well that, periodically, I wanted to go running from the theater as I screamed obscenities back at the screen from which Downey's own were so forcefully coming forth.

Yes, Downey Jr. was a showman first and last, but he was also mostly an asshole, if this movie is to be believed (and the film probably sugar-coats the guy to some degree). I am certain that his daughter, whom we see in the documentary, loved him dearly (as mine loves me), so I apologize to her right off the bat. And yes, Downey Jr. (below, showing us how patriotic he is) tapped into a part of America that we had not seen so much of back then (the 1980s), but that we're seeing and hearing all too often these days. So, yes, Downey Jr. was "ahead of his time." I'm sure the Egyptians of Moses' day would have said the same about Adolf Hitler.

Enough larking around: the movie takes us back a couple of generations to our hero's father, Morton Downey, Sr., and offers up a pretty good case that Junior could never get out of daddy's shadow. We see some terrific archival footage of the family, and of Junior's early career as a would-be singer (I didn't think he sounded at all bad) and then from his days as a liberal who supported (and in fact was a friend of) Teddy Kennedy -- before turning into a (maybe pseudo, maybe not) raging right-wing nut case.

The movie offers us some footage said to be new to the public, showing the sociopath behind the scenes and at his worst, along with some clever animation revealing what you might call the way Junior hoped to have been seen (especially by teen-age girls) and how he appeared to the "suits" who tried to control him. The three directors have compiled all this in a fast-moving manner (Kramer did the editing, Miller the writing and Newberger the art direction) so that you certainly will not be bored and should remain entertained through the final credits.

We hear from the usual (and a few unusual) talking heads -- everyone from Gloria Allred, Alan Dershowitz and Sally Jesse Raphael (above) to Herman (I Wan't to Be President!) Cain, below left, with Curtis (the mouth) Sliwa, and especially Steven Pagones, the white assistant district attorney accused in 1988 of raping black teenager Tawana Brawley.

The whole nasty mess of the Brawley/Al Sharpton debacle is paraded before us once again. Well, maybe this will make some of our younger set find out more about that worthless non-event and why many of us still see Mr. Sharpton, shown below with Downey in those tiresome days, as the epitome of dishonest, self-congratula-tory sleaze. (And why he and Junior make such a perfect couple.)

Junior himself tried, late in his fading career, what looked suspiciously like a Tawana "move" to little avail. His brief but noisy career paved the way for fake men like Limbaugh, Beck and their ilk -- none of whom can hold a candle to the provocations Downey delivered (or the style in which he delivered them). I'd love to be able to say that we shall not see his like again. But we won't be that lucky. It's just a matter of time before hatred, greed and performance art mingle in the right vessel -- and another champion asshole appears to lead our generally insensate populace a step closer to the abyss.

Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie -- from Magnolia Pictures and running 90 minutes --opens this Friday, June 7, in Manhattan at the Quad Cinema, in L.A at the Sundance Sunset Cinemas and elsewhere, too. To view all currently scheduled playdates and theaters, click here.

LET FURY HAVE THE HOUR: Antonino D'Ambrosio's feel-good doc about art, politics and the possibilities for change

How strange it is to see a documentary about subjects dear to one's heart and mind, and featuring a number of talking heads -- John Sayles! Eve Ensler! Van Jones! Richard D. Wolfe! -- whom you have admired for years -- and then find yourself arguing with the movie more and more often as it alternately crawls or barrels along. That was the state TrustMovies found himself in while watching the new film -- the first full-length from Antonino D'Ambrosio -- bearing a most interesting title, LET FURY HAVE THE HOUR.

Arguing with a movie is not necessarily a bad thing. At least you are engaged with it, which is pretty easy to be, so far as Mr. D'Ambrosio's film is concerned (the filmmaker is shown at left). Based on his book of the same name, that also featured the sub-title Joe Strummer, Punk, and The Movement That Shook The World, the documentary is mostly a series of talking heads (I counted some 38 participants listed in the end credits) who talk about art, music (many are themselves musicians), poetry, politics, economics and social change. At the film's beginning, the writer/director tells us this: At the dawn of the 1980s two leaders rose to power, speaking not to the people's aspirations but to their fears, not to their need to come together but their desire to pull apart. These two convinced millions that there was no alternative."

OK. So I'm thinking, who are these two? Milosevic (but he was the end of the 80s)? Maybe some crazy African dictator? Forget that. D'Ambrosio means Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The filmmaker, via his talking heads, then explains how and why these two reactionary conservatives spread their gospel and created the huge disparity between the very rich and the rest of us.

Then he seals the deal by telling us that the music and poetry and arts community rose up in a kind of "Creative Response" that was able to counteract the reactionary movement. Sort of. But did it? And if so, is it still working? To its credit, the movie does address that age-old question Can art makes any difference in the world? But its answer is pretty half-assed, I'm afraid. Yes, many of us love art, which can become a kind of salvation for our minds and spirit. But as to putting food on the table or solving the world's problems, this is more problematic.

There is a lot of intelligence on display here -- from everyone from from Sayles to Chuck D (above: rapper and founder of Public Enemy), Staceyann Chin (below) to Edwige Danticat. Ms Chin, toward the end of the film, explains it this way: The question isn't, Are we moving forward or backward? The questions is, Are we on the right side of history." Fair enough.

But when someone else opines, "I think we're ready for a leap," one can't help but wonder, where -- into the abyss? Everything here is about art of all kinds, with nary a mention of something that might greatly effect art (and all else) like climate change. Religion (and its discontents) is also nowhere to be seen or heard. And certain religions around the world, as practiced by their more fundamentalist believers, would gladly kill many of the artists shown in the film, particularly the women.

Change is inevitable, yes, as (I think) Ms Chin points out. But I would suggest that, while we're on the right side of history, unfortunately the wrong side -- corporations, the wealthy, the powerful -- is definitely winning. How do we change this, short of armed revolution (which we may not stand much chance of winning)? I don't know -- and the movie, feel-good inspiration-fest that it is, doesn't have a clue.

Worth seeing -- and arguing over -- Let Fury Have the Hour, a CAVU Pictures release and running 88 minutes, opens this Friday, December 14, in New York City at the Quad Cinema, and will open in other cities across the country come January. Click here to see currently scheduled cities and theaters.

Note: As a special treat, there will be 

Q&As with the filmmaker following 

the 7:25pm show on Friday 12/14, 

following the 5:15pm & 7:25pm shows 

on Saturday, 12/15 and following the 3:00pm & 

5:15pm shows on Sunday, 12/16.