While we wonder where filmmakers come up with the crazy ideas for their movies, sometimes it takes a documentary to show you that real life can be stranger than fiction. In the great tradition of other indie documentaries, IFC is bringing us MAGICAL UNIVERSE this Halloween. The trailer below should give you an idea that this is not your typical documentary subject.
Filmmaker Jeremy Workman spent over ten years making MAGICAL UNIVERSE, a labor of love that is very apparent in the trailer. The subject of the film is Al Carbee, an artist whose use of Barbie dolls, photographs, and dioramas resulted in some of the most unique works you may ever see.
Filmed for over a decade, MAGICAL UNIVERSE is a strange and moving portrait of Al Carbee, an 88 year old reclusive outsider artist who spends all his days alone in a massive house in Maine creating art — much of it featuring Barbie Dolls in elaborate dioramas. The documentary profiles Carbee’s amazing body of work and his relentlessly creative lifestyle. At its core, the documentary is about wonder, friendship, and the transcendent power of creativity.
What really struck me about the film is just how you may never know where art could come from and how surprising it could be. This trailer reminds me quite a bit of IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, a documentary about artist Henry Darger who penned a 15 thousand page novel and created numerous works of art unlike anything ever seen. MAGICAL UNIVERSE definitely looks like a moving film experience and one I cannot wait to check out.
MAGICAL UNIVERSE will debut On Demand and in theaters on October 31st.