Magical Universe (2014)
A documentarian strikes up an odd friendship with reclusive 80 year old outsider artist Al Carbee, whose strange Barbie-doll photography gains acclaim and interest over the course of the project's multi-year history. Far beyond a portrait of an eccentric, Magical Universe is about wonder, friendship, and the transcendent power of creativity
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The compulsion to create was innate in Al Carbee and so his art, if odd, also feels necessary and natural. Even though each piece was painstakingly contrived and crafted by him, his body of work feels inevitable. This film feels similarly motivated and is therefore one of the more moving documentaries I have seen.
I apply that title to both Al Carbee's work as well as this film.Like most I was wondering where it was headed after the first 15-20 mins but when I got a look into Al's world I was amazed. Al's work, for me, is akin to listening to a lecture from someone like Terance McKenna or Timothy Leary.Al's dreams and the way he translates them into visual works is extraordinary and Mr. Workman has done the same thing with his work introducing us to Al Carbee.With any luck this film will serve as an introduction to the artist known as Al Carbee.
Truly unique and refreshing, this is a beautiful journey throughout the mind (and home) of an artist. Something brilliant happens here that some may not understand... it takes a creative mind to get this film. I don't normally say this about artsy documentaries, but there were times when I was literally on the edge of my seat wondering what oddity we were going to discover next! Something mentioned in the film... weird doesn't always mean bad, or sinister. There is an innocence and exuberance about Al Carbee that is magical, and I feel that this film is overall a celebration of an artist who wanted nothing more than to share his creative passion with the world. This is worth watching!
Jeremy Workman tells a lovely story in this film. Al Carbee was an "outsider artist", an old Maine hermit, who created oddly beautiful and elaborate dioramas with Barbie dolls, then photographing them and creating collages. His work was visually interesting and really quite compelling. This is a strangely moving and compassionate film about an interesting artist and man, and the relationships he forges in his later years, and is a meditation on making and the development of an artist through stages of life. The soundtrack is beautiful. Photography by John Monroe captures some of the sense of the mystery and amazement of meeting Al for the first time.