Last night I sat down on the couch to watch a couple of docs on Netflix
Instant with the wife and inadvertently put two on that showcased some
of the saddest and scariest aspects of humanity.

First up- I
Think We’re Alone Now, a film about two stalkers who are completely
obsessed with Tiffany, the 80s pop singer. If you’re not aware of who
she is don’t worry- she’s pretty much only known for
that titular song. This movie played Fantastic Fest a few years ago
and I doubt a scarier film played that year, or any year. It’s a deep look into mental illness, where nothing is rational and things can get unhinged at any time.

The short film (61 minutes) features two of Tiffany’s most crazy fans, two men
afflicted with crippling cases of Asperger’s and the thought that they
will one day end up in a serious relationship with the singer. The first
guy talks proudly about how security guards pulled him away from her
“to protect him”, and shows off his restraining order that she filed
against him. The second guy is an “intersexual” with an alcohol problem
that has pictures of her taped up at eye level on every surface of his
home.
Simultaneously sad and scary as fuck, it really is a great little film, a thoughtful one about the nature of celebrity.
To think that a minor pop star has this segment of obsessive fans is
terrifying- I can only imagine what real famous stars go through.

Second film up was The

Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virigina, which was actually
executive produced by Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine of Dickhouse/Jackass fame and
played Tribeca last year. I missed the screening and am now regretting
it, because it’s equally insane.

This could have been called Redneck: The Movie. It follows a clan (think that’s the
right word) of white trash that share their stories of drug use,
murder, sex, guns, robberies, and all that other fun stuff. The fact
that they’re so open about it is astonishing, and really makes for an
incredibly compelling film. You don’t normally see people so
unrepentant, no, downright proud of what they are. You don’t see many
real people who live completely outside the norms of society, couldn’t
give a fuck about how you live and who you are, and just do their own
thing. It would almost be laudable, until you see what they do with their (usually shortened) lives.

Definitely check these movies out if you get a chance, and don’t mind constantly shaking your head in amazement that these are real people who live in the same world that you do.