S&M: Short and Male (2008)
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Director: Howard Goldberg Cast: Howard Goldberg Country: Canada Year: 2008 Score: ** MPAA Rating: |
Short people have hell of a life. As director/writer Howard Goldberg’s documentary that had an initial showing at this year’s HOT DOCS film festival demonstrates, short people are being prejudiced in all walks of life. Women prefer to date tall men, sperm banks reject donors below a minimum height and as an experiment in the film shows, a short person cannot walk through a crowded street without being bumped into a countless number of times.
But everybody with a bit of common sense already knows that a short person has a more difficult time than his taller counterpart. The film goes on and on to drum in the point. From Goldberg’s 5’ 3” comical view of his material, the whole enterprise has a hokey feeling and the message is laughed off just as his crowd bystanders in the film laugh off at the Organization of Short Statured Adults (OSSA).
S&M belongs to the Michael Moore/Morgan Spurlock school of documentary filmmaking where pleasing the audience is more important that the material and laughter rules. Unfortunately, Goldberg’s film is not as funny and falls as flat as his short standup comic. S&M bears an uncanny resemblance in feel to last year’s Canadian manipulative documentary THE BODYBUILDER AND I. But at least that one had a climax and was funny.
Goldberg’s film makes the s word a dirty word. But in s____, S&M: S____ AND MALE is s____ in subject, s____ on laughs and s____ on material and it should be made as a s____ film.
Review by: Gilbert Seah
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There is no question that the short-statured are victims in society. They are victims of prejudice and discrimination in a ‘BIG’ way, especially men. Although the film put a little bit of humor into the subject, it is not a joke, and far too many short people are not awake and aware unfortunately.
The short of stature experience situations that if occured on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sex, etc. would be viewed in some cases as virtual hate crimes. However in the case of the short even the serious situations could be treated as a joke. Why don’t you come to my website and listen to my broadcasts?
I will check out your website. I totally agree that the prejudice is not a joke. As a 5’ 10” male, I also am aware that those taller than me are at an unfair advantage.