-Written by Kyle Bain.
2024 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Documentaries can get old, especially when you watch a handful of them in a row. A narrative really needs to be thrown into the mix in order to break up the monotony. Unfortunately for An Extraordinary Place, it was the third of three documentaries that I watched over the course of a weekend. Does that change the objective effectiveness of the film? No, but it did make it more challenging for me to remain focused throughout.
An Extraordinary Place tells the story of a radio station in Maine, one that employs a series of eccentric and eclectic individuals. From singing the weather forecast to presenting young, unknown artists with an opportunity to showcase their talent, WMPG ensures that Southern Maine gets to hear an array of music and entertainment.
An Extraordinary Place effectively puts us in the DJ’s booth, allowing us to see, up close and personal, the things that go on at WMPG. I found it interesting to see the array of individuals who have a hand in bringing the sounds of this radio station to life, but I’m not sure that it’s anything more than that, just interesting. I was never truly entertained, and An Extraordinary Place sort of existed as background noise to me as my mind wandered. I couldn’t focus on this film; I couldn’t bring myself to sit there for the thirty-three minute runtime and not think about other things. There’s just not enough content here.
I don’t know if I’ve hit a wall or if the films that I’ve seen lately are, in fact, difficult to review–but I am finding An Extraordinary Place incredibly difficult to review. Again, there’s not much there. There isn’t a ton of content, and within that content, there isn’t much that kept me engaged. It’s a straightforward documentary about a radio station, one that employs an interesting group of people (interesting in the sense that they are all from drastically different walks of life). An Extraordinary Place is fine, but will it blow viewers out of the water? Likely no. It does its job of informing on an interesting topic. That’s all it needs to do, and that’s just what it does.
Directed by Tom Bell.
6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
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