ReelBob: ‘The Ringmaster’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

The best documentaries are those in which the filmmaker simply is a fly on the wall — objectively standing back and chronicling events.

That definitely is not the case in “The Ringmaster,” a movie begun by an enthusiastic novice filmmaker, Zachary Capp, who decides to use an inheritance from his grandfather to make a movie about a beloved, small-town Minnesota chef, Larry Lang, who makes the world’s most delicious onion rings.

Two things to know from the outset: Capp is a compulsive personality, a former gambling addict who had to go into rehab, and Lang is a shy, easy-going individual who reluctantly agrees to be the subject of Capp’s movie.

The film’s title has a double meaning, of course, the first being Lang’s mastery of making onion rings, while the second focuses on Capp’s obsession with, subconsciously, manipulating Lang’s life and trying to create a happy ending for his subject.

“The Ringmaster” begins as your standard documentary with Capp explaining why he wants to spotlight Lang and his onion rings. But as he begins shooting, you notice that the soft-spoken Lang is not a person on which to build a movie.

Lang’s life is singularly focused on making his rings, and, he has little to say. It seems Capp always has to draw him out — and even then, Lang gives simple, concise statements.

As the movie progresses, we see a shift by the filmmaking crew from keeping the camera on Lang to concentrating on Capp, who has become fond of Lang and his sister, Linda, to the point that he tries to make deals to get Lang’s onion rings on the national stage.

This is definitely not what a documentary filmmaker should be doing. The crew recognizes that, thus their surreptitious plan to feature Capp.

Throughout all this, Capp seems totally unaware of what is happening.

And that is a strength of “The Ringmaster.” Capp is so fixated on Lang that he does not see how much he has intruded and turned his life upside down.

Capp’s slow loss of objectivity makes fascinating viewing. As he later admits, he traded his gambling addiction for a filmmaking one, yet he is not ready to take total responsibility for upending Lang’s life.

Capp gradually shifts from wanting to film Lang’s life to changing it, going so far as to set up tastings to help Lang get noticed.

And while, from a personal standpoint, that may seem commendable, from a documentarian perspective, it is verboten. Plus, Capp does all of this without even considering if Lang really wants the attention and adulation.

The movie becomes rather disturbing as Capp becomes consumed with creating the perfect ending to his project. It all comes to a head in Las Vegas, where a finale is accomplished, but not the one Capp had foreseen.

In a sense, “The Ringmaster” is a study about the ethics of documentary filmmaking. Should the filmmaker stand apart or become part of the story?

Watching this movie, you definitely would prefer the former.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

THE RINGMASTER
3 stars out of 4
Not rated, language