Another missed opportunity to have a potentially intriguing documentary, instead I got bored by the random scenes and way too many characters who are not properly introduced.
Instead of presenting a concept, having a structure, following a character who wants something and the obstacles he/she faces we get a collection of mostly personal stories of mostly unknown characters with mostly obscure understanding of what the ideal world of booksellers should be.
It gave me weird vibes, like one of those school projects where you interview family and friends and everyone (every single one) must have some screen time otherwise they'll be offended.
They could have presented the before and after the internet arrived and how it changed everything as the main concept, and go deep showing how people changed as well, not only in biz but as human beings.
Also. Personally I have mixed feelings when I see the director being also credited as the editor. Either low budget (no problem with that) or too much ego at play from the director. Unless you are a genius like Kurosawa, cohen brothers and so on.
Instead of presenting a concept, having a structure, following a character who wants something and the obstacles he/she faces we get a collection of mostly personal stories of mostly unknown characters with mostly obscure understanding of what the ideal world of booksellers should be.
It gave me weird vibes, like one of those school projects where you interview family and friends and everyone (every single one) must have some screen time otherwise they'll be offended.
They could have presented the before and after the internet arrived and how it changed everything as the main concept, and go deep showing how people changed as well, not only in biz but as human beings.
Also. Personally I have mixed feelings when I see the director being also credited as the editor. Either low budget (no problem with that) or too much ego at play from the director. Unless you are a genius like Kurosawa, cohen brothers and so on.