Ten camcorders were passed out among the student body of an East L.A. high school. After recording their "lives", the students passed the cameras on not unlike a chain letter...hence, the title. Of the results, 16 vignettes were edited revealing attitudes, opinions, and behaviors with diversity of ethnicity and subject. This documentary collection of amateur videography offers some poignant moments, some humor, some very frank sex talk, typical prom night, graduation and more. Want to know what's on the minds of kids today? Check it out.
8 Reviews
A Genuinely Enlightening 90 Minute Documentary
Oscar Alvarez14 July 2001
Don't be fooled by the lackluster movie poster, Chain Camera is a very entertaining and eye opening movie. Unlike films like Kids and Gummo amongst others that allege to have the inside scoop on the lives of America's youth, Chain Camera actually does "tell it like it is" so to speak. The film is presented in 6 minute segments devoted to a particular student at the school. As the film progresses each student unfolds emotionally leading to funny and dramatic moments. The director should have made use of digital video cameras as it tends to be very grainy at times but perhaps that would have driven production costs up. Once again coming back to the film itself, you must approach it with an open mind as the students come from VERY diverse backgrounds. Topics such as racism, fellatio, and drugs are comically touched upon so please do not bring children under 13, please its embarrassing.
Aside from that Chain Camera is a fun little sad, funny, and above all interesting documentary that is a must see for anyone living in America today and yes it this is reality unlike Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson Creek, or the other junk on television.
Aside from that Chain Camera is a fun little sad, funny, and above all interesting documentary that is a must see for anyone living in America today and yes it this is reality unlike Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson Creek, or the other junk on television.
one of the best documentaries i've ever seen
ellstonzgunn20 February 2003
this out-standing documentary will probably never be seen by a large audience which is truly unfortunate. it is riveting, touching, sad, hysterical, and unforgettable in every way. it follows east los angeles high-school students for a short time in each of their lives after which time they pass the camera on to another person, thus the name of the movie. what makes it so special is that almost every stereotype you might have about kids in this tough neighborhood is proven false. you get to see the person behind the statistic and it makes you re-evaluate yourself and your perceptions of others. i hope that this film eventually makes it to video. it will be one that i want
graduating in the new millennium
lee_eisenberg27 December 2022
Kirby Dick's "Chain Camera" takes an unusual approach. A number of students in a Los Angeles high school film themselves and their lives during their final year of secondary education (the 1999-2000 school year). Coming from a number of cultural backgrounds, these students talk about a variety of topics that affect them. One might say that the ethnic and cultural heterogeneity among the student body is the supreme representation of the United States.
If the documentary doesn't have a solid focus, then it's because there's a number of different kinds of people here. Every student had something good to say, although some of the remarks probably wouldn't be considered politically correct anymore. I found it to be a good documentary, especially considering that this was the last class to graduate before the contested 2000 election and then the 9/11 attacks.
If the documentary doesn't have a solid focus, then it's because there's a number of different kinds of people here. Every student had something good to say, although some of the remarks probably wouldn't be considered politically correct anymore. I found it to be a good documentary, especially considering that this was the last class to graduate before the contested 2000 election and then the 9/11 attacks.
I love documentary, but...
jcwla19 July 2001
...this one just isn't worth the cost of a movie ticket. What these filmmakers have done cannot properly be called filmmaking; rather, they just chose sixteen students of some diversity (though not quite as much diversity as the reviews have suggested) and set them loose. The results are, to be brutally frank, far more often boring, self-indulgent, overwrought and off-puttingly grainy than truly insightful.
There are, of course, moments of recognition and identification of the sort only possible in documentary film, but overall there's not much more truth here than in "Bully" or, for that matter, a decent TV documentary of the same sort. Though full of talk about sex and sexual diversity and racism, the film brings nothing to the table that will be of use to anyone who has thought about any of these issues with any seriousness. And while certain segments serve absolutely no purpose other than to inject a bit of (admittedly welcome) comic relief, most often the five-minute limit keeps up from becoming emotionally involved with any of the students. An interesting idea, but thumbs down for CHAIN CAMERA.
There are, of course, moments of recognition and identification of the sort only possible in documentary film, but overall there's not much more truth here than in "Bully" or, for that matter, a decent TV documentary of the same sort. Though full of talk about sex and sexual diversity and racism, the film brings nothing to the table that will be of use to anyone who has thought about any of these issues with any seriousness. And while certain segments serve absolutely no purpose other than to inject a bit of (admittedly welcome) comic relief, most often the five-minute limit keeps up from becoming emotionally involved with any of the students. An interesting idea, but thumbs down for CHAIN CAMERA.
Finally a REAL "reality" show!
bludwig8 July 2001
Finally a REAL "reality" show! One Marshall High School student (in Los Angeles) is given a camera and a week to film their life then pass the camera on to a classmate. The resulting 10 vignettes create a compelling reality documentary. It is 100% human, thus it is often loving and compassionate, sometimes chilling, and sometimes extremely funny. The audience applauded loudly at the end. It makes one realize how phony the current "reality TV show" rage is.
He Said, She Said
mario.dimaio10 March 2001
Original and candid, this documentary represents our multi-cultural environment. Light in concept, it reaches many depths. The students make the most out of the notion of passing around video cameras to document their lives. The film touches on just about every issue teenagers have to deal with in today's world. It's multi-dimensional regarding gender, race and class. The kids are funny, totally honest and very real. The filmmakers respect their subjects and never trivialize their issues. This is the face of the world. The audience applauded at the end of the screening. Chain Camera is both riveting and heartwarming. You can't help but become involved with the subjects. Fantastic!
Great and Innovative in its simple idea - But is there a missing sequence?
sheamart6 October 2006
I think this documentary is great. Removing the presence of the filmmaker is what sets this movie apart and allows such honesty to spill out of these kids. Well edited, well paced and entertaining; each story has an arc; while still capturing the essence of the kids. And the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I saw this at Sundance in 2001 and then again on DVD in 2006 and I remember most of it like it was. But I think a sequence was missing involving an Armenian girl who was fighting with her mom. I remember her escaping outside from a fight her mom and crying to the camera. Its a very vivid memory, but perhaps I saw this in another movie?
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