Putty Hill

This curious blend of documentary and narrative, held together less by any plot device than by a rigorous aesthetic, proves all the more effective for being in service of casual naturalism.

Points must be awarded for nerve, but virtually every aspect of this misbegotten film misfires.

The originality here lies in the fact that the unseen director, Matt Porterfield, armed with his camera, asks them about their feelings.

[D]etails grow fuzzy in the mind as the characters multiply, until what's left is what Porterfield wanted all along: a portrait of the community.