Review: Tyler Shields’ Hollywood Mockumentary CHAPTER 51 – A Rare Cinematic Gem
There’s nothing quite like the experience of seeing a great film. If you’re a fan of cinema, then this can be exhilarating. It’s the cinematic high that you chase when watch something new. It’s rare and you don’t always achieve it, but you keep hoping that the next film you see will give you a hit of those all so rare endorphins. I got this hit when I watched Tyler Shields’ Chapter 51. Watching the trailer let me know that I was potentially in for something special, but it didn’t set me up for how special Chapter 51 would be. It’s a totally captivating film that has been made by a lover of cinema, for fellow lovers of the medium.
A faux documentary, that charts the chaos around the making (and therefore the unmaking) of a fictitious $500 million epic called Dissident, Chapter 51 positions itself as a true crime documentary which delves into the murder of three lead actresses during production. Built from purported behind-the-scenes material, talking heads with the actors and production team and clips from ‘other films’, it builds a narrative around the search for the killer (known as THK – The Hollywood Killer), who would commit the murders and then upload them to the internet. The labyrinthine and incestuous nature of relationships within the cast and crew ultimately means that everyone in the production could be the killer. Shields himself puts in an appearance as the retired FBI agent turned documentarian, who just can’t let the case go.
The concept of the mockumentary isn’t something that’s new. We can go all the way back to All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles) and its better known cousin, This Is Spinal Tap, for that sort of thing. As good as some of these films have been, the genre has never really been given a broad canvas – until now. Chapter 51 was shot using every available film format such as 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, IMAX, VistaVision, and Ultra70 Panavision – along with a new format created just for this film – anamorphic IMAX. This isn’t just a bunch of talking heads and a few cutaways, it’s pure cinema that uses the same lenses that filmed Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia!
Director Tyler Shields is not only a filmmaker, but he’s also a well regarded photographer and he knows how to deliver powerful visuals, but not at the expense of the narrative. He makes sure that Chapter 51 is a fully immersive experience that draws the viewer in. There’s a hypnotic nature to the film, that embraces you within the story, while also making sure that you’re never missing out on the film’s many laughs.
An ensemble cast dedicate themselves to the bit – with Colman Domingo, Abigail Breslin, Emily Alyn Lind, Charlotte Lawrence, Dylan Sprayberry and Connor Paolo are all sterling turns. Domingo delivers a cool and relaxed turn as the first director of Dissident who quit the production over the oft used excuse of ‘creative differences’. While Paolo fully commits to the role as the crazed writer-director attempting to haul the herculin production across the finish line. Paolo embraces the role with gusto – cherry picking quirks and traits from famed directors like Tarantino, Scorsese and De Palma and any other famed director you can imagine.
Straddling the line between art house film and mass appeal comedy, there’s just so much to enjoy in Chapter 51. It looks gorgeous, the central story is intriguing and the humour is on-point. The assorted ‘films within the film’ are so perfectly realised that you’re actually drawn into their snippets. There’s a pivotal scene with Logan Huffman playing a famed actor, in a character discussing physical abuse by his father that’s so well played that it shoots right through comedy and straight into Brando level dramatic perfection.
All the elements collide to create a monumentally entertaining faux documentary. This is essentially flawless filmmaking, a rare cinematic gem that delivers on an intriguing premise. It would be great without the luscious visuals, but Tyler Shield’s eye as a visual stylist takes Chapter 51 to a whole other level. This delivers on all fronts. It’s not only one of the most interesting films you’ll see this year, but it’s also one of the very best.
