Zachary Levy’s “Strongman,” a 2009 Slamdance Film Festival premiere ten years in the making, is a swell, small first-person documentary about New Jersey strongman Stanley “Stanless Steel” Pleskun, a scrap-metal worker by day who, despite approaching middle age, performs feats of strength while hardly getting any notice for it. Pleskun is a simple man, mutters, redefines by the day what a “champion” is. Levy’s capable handling with such close attention leads to the rarest and most compassionate form of cinema vérité. It’s possible to be a lifelong dreamer even when your dreams aren’t that imaginative. Tender, touching stuff. 113m. (Ray Pride)
Ray Pride is Newcity’s Senior Editor and Film Critic. He is a contributing editor of Filmmaker magazine.
Ray’s history of Chicago Ghost Signs is planned for publication next year. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram. More photography on Instagram.
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