Semi Colin (2012) User Reviews

Very slow, very long and very empty.

[torrascotia · 3/10 · 29 March 2018]

I usually find art documentaries interesting however this one has a number of problems. The first is the actual length, at best it has maybe 20 mins of actual valuable content, its current length just isn't justified. The reason I say this is because all we get to see are shots of a man working on a drawing while classical music plays. Every so often we see the artist sitting in a chair and we have the occasional voice over. There isn't really enough of the talking and there is too much of the artist working on the same artwork while music plays. It is very telling that there is an urge to skip along to the next part of talking. However even the actual voice over is a disappointment. We do not get to hear very much about the artist, instead we have a number of cliches about how art isn't pornography. Or that men find women visually attractive. The artists doesn't seem to have an individual voice, it could be anyone saying these things. Another issue is we do not really get to see or hear much about the work, far too much of the documentary is simply empty space or feels repetitive. With a running time of 75 mins there was plenty of scope to make an engaging study of the artist. The feeling you come away with is of a lonely, obsessive man working on graphic novels and we do not even get to see if there is a market or fanbase for his work. Surely in the days of internet "erotica" this type of work has a shrinking fanbase? The best thing about this documentary was the cover unfortunately.

Secret life of an amazing artist!

[jlee-39837 · 10/10 · 28 November 2017]

I enjoyed this film and felt it was brilliantly presented. Though most may seem it starts out slow, it must to make you understand you are entering the mind of a 71 year old man, a creature of habit, who day after day, year after year he sits, secretly spilling his thoughts onto paper in a lonely old house he grew up in. As the music intensifies, your inner curiosity will too! Watch as this humble artist with a vivid, intense imagination is reveled and leaves you shocked in the end....