SDFF Review: Wesley Willis’s Joyrides
The ride is not often joyous, but it is intensely interesting and, at times, emotional. The documentary, made by film makers Chris Bagley and Kim Shively, tells a very personal story of an oversized man, who has faced oversized adversities in his life in Chicago. A diagnosed schizophrenic who creates a following on a near cult status in the punk rock world, Wesley Willis works his way into people’s lives. Beginning with the art supply store, where they let him draw and paint, until he has an “episode” and they must ask him to leave, to the sidewalks of Chicago where he sells to a loyal clientele. One of the people he builds a bond with later becomes his band mate and his lyrics and style fall right in to place with the punk rock mind set. Like a mentally challenged Gil Scott-Heron, he yells repetitious lyrics that entertain and cause us to think how the world affects a person like him. While there are times when you begin to think he is being taken advantage of, you later see that he is really more in charge then you would expect.
Like the art hardware shop keepers, or the band mates, you get a sense that the film makers are genuinely attached to this unusual entrepreneur. You also get the sense that Willis knows his story needs to be told and loves letting us all in, even on the bad days. It seems as if he needs us all; the filmmakers, the punk kids, the art lovers, the Kinko’s copy girl, the windy city tourists and we the movie audience. We should all go on at least one ride with Wesley Willis.
Playing at this years Starz Film Festival.
