Genre: Biography | Comedy | Drama
Director: Robyn C. Miller
Writers: Robyn C. Miller
Cast: Robyn C. Miller, Tom Olson, Nicole Heigh
Length: 100 minutes
Format: Available online April 1st, 2014
Synopsis:
Augustus Gladstone believes he’s immortal. Squatting in an abandoned hotel in Portland, he shares colorful tales of his 150 year existence. From his travels across America during the depression, to befriending Andy Warhol, to seeing the 1900 Paris Expo, Augustus charms the film crew who discovered him on You Tube. Eventually Augustus sets out to find his only living descendant: Lucky Gladstone. His sojourn causes the crew to question their responsibility to Augustus, their subject. The Immortal Augustus Gladstone is about myth, mortality, and a film about film making.
Trailer: The Immortal Augustus Gladstone
The Immortal Augustus Gladstone is a fictitious documentary style film about a man who believes that he is not only immortal, but a vampire. One of the great things about the vampire genre is that it is only as limitless as our imaginations, and it very easy for us to see an interpretation of “vampire” and call that absolute when in fact the rules can and are changed based on the story tellers account.
Not having seen a trailer or other media for The Immortal Augustus Gladstone, I was initially taken by surprise at the appearance of this man who claimed to be an immortal vampire. It messed with all my current notions. Augustus Gladstone (Robyn C. Miller) isn’t classically attractive and walks with a limp. He doesn’t eat and claims to live off of human plasma, though we don’t actually see it. Augustus borders so well on “what if” that it’s hard to know if you believe that he’s an immortal vampire or if he’s just out of his mind. I could honestly say my brow was furrowed for most of the movie trying to decide what I believed.
The writer, director and star of the movie, Robyn C. Miller is well known to anyone who’s played online games as the creator of Myst, an groundbreaking adventure game where you followed clues and manipulated your surroundings that had various ending based on decisions you made in game. I think the attention to detail necessary in a game like that comes through in this movie as well.
Augustus Gladstone lives in an abandoned hotel which he has carved out a living space. His home is so completely contrasting to the dilapidated hotel that surrounds it that it’s like going into another world full of tiny details that no doubt have a story to accompany each one.
I also see this attention to detail in the dress of Augustus, but mostly the makeup and hair. The amount of makeup that Augustus puts on to cover his skin is so heavy that it actually caused me to recall the look of makeup on corpses for viewing. And the wig he wears in order to attract less attention to his bald head is completely distracting as are his lack of eyebrows and eyelashes that are drawn or glued on. They’re not distracting in a bad way, they’re distracting in a way that reminds you that while we could lean to the theory that this man is just bonkers, something clearly is going on with his health.
The story follows Augustus documentary like as he goes about his life after having received some attention from some YouTube videos he made. Eventually the documentary team follows him on a quest to find if he has any living relatives and the situation arises where the team toes the line between being outside observers documenting or people who are having an impact on Augustus’ world.
If you’re in the mood for an artsy and quiet, thoughtful documentary on a charming and quirky man who might also be a vampire then check out The Immortal Augustus Gladstone presented by Boing Boing on Amazon, iTunes or Google Play August 1st. Until then you can check out more about the film on their website, including the game A-WOL in P-TOWN where you can try to locate Augustus in Portland.
I give The Immortal Augustus Gladstone Five out of Five stars.
