Self Made

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Turner Prize winning artist Gillian Wearing's debut film could have been a second rate reality TV show but the tenderness and honesty on screen transforms this documentary into a powerful experience.

The idea is a simple one but its results are amazing. Seven non-actors attend a three-week course in Method Acting, a technique that allows the actor to draw on personal experience and bring that emotion to a role. The seven here are encouraged to delve deep into their psyche, to explore moments in their past or present (and sometimes future) and harness that raw energy for the little shorts Wearing then casts them in. The results, for the most part, are life changing…

Some of the seven attend the course, run by Sam Rumbelow, to purge childhood horrors: one was bullied when a teenager, one is still being ignored and lied to by her estranged father, another plans to commit suicide on a specific date five years from now after his experience working in an old folk's home. Others are here to explore the darker areas of their mind, curious as to what they might find. The course drags out anger, fear and trust issues and the participants are curiously vocal in front of camera what they would otherwise be scared to admit to themselves.

The resulting short films see them pour these emotions into the roles, creating dynamic performances from inexperienced actors. The scenes are diverse: Some are asked to act in a scene from King Lear, some scenes are written specifically for the project (written by playwright Leo Butler), while others are encouraged to re-enact those childhood scenes that they have long since repressed. The scenes they act out later vary in interest, though: some work, in that it can be obvious the actors are purging their pent up emotions; others look unsure, but then they aren't professional actors.

Self-indulgent? Sure. Pretentious? Yeah. The seven's willingness to expose themselves emotionally, however, and watching them change from shy people lacking confidence to strong individuals overrides any cynicism. Dave, the one plans to commit suicide, remains steadfast however.