I thought this doc was going to be one of those cute hagiographic pieces about “Chasing Amy” but it turns out to be a surprisingly strong piece of film criticism that puts Kevin Smith’s 1997 film in both the context of its festival run and the personal history of Sav Rodgers, who in addition to writing and directing this documentary, turns out to be a great main character with an expressive onscreen presence.
Rodgers here becomes a relatable figure because he, like many of us, finds himself grappling with a piece of media that had a truly positive influence in his early life but has to reposition himself when it becomes recontextualized for him in unsavory ways. In his case, “Chasing Amy” helped him make sense of his sexual orientation as a teenager and then helped him transition to being a transgender male. Yet upon interviewing Kevin Smith, Joey Lauren Adams, and even Guinevere Turner(one of the wisest additions to the doc), he also opens up a can of worms regarding the legacy of the film. Namely, that other LGBTQ+ films got ignored, that only Smith got any catharsis out of making the movie and further entrenched cisgender perspectives on LGBTQ representation, that it was a Harvey Weinstein film…
What Rodgers ends up making is probably the best companion piece to “Chasing Amy” that it will ever get(whether “Chasing Amy” is deserving of it or not). Whereas “Chasing Amy” itself is still ultimately more a “Kevin Smith text” than it is a queer text, the doc opens the original film up to queer perspectives and perhaps, most importantly, that of Joey Lauren Adams. She has all kinds of damning takes on the film that other reviews on Letterboxd have discussed with nuance, but one thing I want to mention is Adams’ piercing insight into how “Chasing Amy” brought closure to Kevin Smith but not to herself in regards to the breakup to their relationship. As a result, the conversation between her and Rodgers develops a difficult dynamic wherein she simply cannot connect with Rodgers on what the film means to him yet she doesn’t want to take it away from him. How Rodgers responds and eventually processes it is a testament to his emotional maturity.
I think what Sav Rodgers ultimately stumbles upon is that the meaning of “Chasing Amy” is for himself to own and steward. His own final talk with Kevin Smith is indicative of this. It’s not everyday that Kevin Smith of all people becomes a figure of ambivalence in interviews, but here he comes off self-absorbed yet cannot help but encourage Sav to be true to himself. Is this encouragement genuine or is it just another way for Smith to add another brownie point to the legacy of him and his movie? Thankfully, Rodgers does not get too distracted by these issues and ends up outgrowing the film itself.
I thought this doc was going to be one of those cute hagiographic pieces about “Chasing Amy” but it turns out to be a surprisingly strong piece of film criticism that puts Kevin Smith’s 1997 film in both the context of its festival run and the personal history of Sav Rodgers, who in addition to writing and directing this documentary, turns out to be a great main character with an expressive onscreen presence.
Rodgers here becomes a relatable figure because he, like many of us, finds himself grappling with a piece of media that had a truly positive influence in his early life but has to reposition himself when it becomes recontextualized for him in unsavory ways. In his case, “Chasing Amy” helped him make sense of his sexual orientation as a teenager and then helped him transition to being a transgender male. Yet upon interviewing Kevin Smith, Joey Lauren Adams, and even Guinevere Turner(one of the wisest additions to the doc), he also opens up a can of worms regarding the legacy of the film. Namely, that other LGBTQ+ films got ignored, that only Smith got any catharsis out of making the movie and further entrenched cisgender perspectives on LGBTQ representation, that it was a Harvey Weinstein film…
What Rodgers ends up making is probably the best companion piece to “Chasing Amy” that it will ever get(whether “Chasing Amy” is deserving of it or not). Whereas “Chasing Amy” itself is still ultimately more a “Kevin Smith text” than it is a queer text, the doc opens the original film up to queer perspectives and perhaps, most importantly, that of Joey Lauren Adams. She has all kinds of damning takes on the film that other reviews on Letterboxd have discussed with nuance, but one thing I want to mention is Adams’ piercing insight into how “Chasing Amy” brought closure to Kevin Smith but not to herself in regards to the breakup to their relationship. As a result, the conversation between her and Rodgers develops a difficult dynamic wherein she simply cannot connect with Rodgers on what the film means to him yet she doesn’t want to take it away from him. How Rodgers responds and eventually processes it is a testament to his emotional maturity.
I think what Sav Rodgers ultimately stumbles upon is that the meaning of “Chasing Amy” is for himself to own and steward. His own final talk with Kevin Smith is indicative of this. It’s not everyday that Kevin Smith of all people becomes a figure of ambivalence in interviews, but here he comes off self-absorbed yet cannot help but encourage Sav to be true to himself. Is this encouragement genuine or is it just another way for Smith to add another brownie point to the legacy of him and his movie? Thankfully, Rodgers does not get too distracted by these issues and ends up outgrowing the film itself.
