STONE READER (Mark Moskowitz, 2003) 80

Reviewed: February 25th, 2003

This is an incredible film. J. Hoberman calls Stone Reader the most heartfelt tribute to artistic invention he's ever seen and that's about all you need to know. Ostensibly a literary mystery (and a riveting mystery at that; I can't remember the last time I was so invested in the outcome of a film), it's really a non-fictional, soaring love poem to reading (which -- per Hoberman's point -- is interchangeable with other forms of art; substitute at will depending on your own predilections). My first impulse upon theater exit was to find the biggest bookstore around and buy as many books as I could fit in my arms (but mainly I was dying to buy the titular-referenced “The Stones of Summer"-- more on this later); I'd be amazed if most people don't have the same reaction. The filmmaking is somewhat amateurish (writer/producer/co-editor/director Mark Moskowitz -- who makes a living directing political spots -- spent two years shooting during whatever spare moments he could grab with a few buddies and whatever spare film he could round up) but therein also lies a lot of Stone Reader's charm. Moskowitz sometimes makes us actively involved in the crafting of his film, shooting himself convincing people to help out with the production, interrupting sequences to show himself editing these same sequences, labeling spent film, etc. and yet none of this ever feels superfluous or distracting because it all ties back into the artistic invention header. (A highlight comes when Moskowitz becomes so discouraged that he informs us he's just gonna use the rest of his film stock to shoot pretty pictures; sure enough, that's what we briefly see: sunsets, flowers, kids playing in nature, etc.) Like many great films, Stone Reader functions as a personal essay of sorts, telling us more about Mark himself than anyone else. Moskowitz is a fascinating contraction: at once wildly passionate enough to spend years devoted to this movie, zealous enough to spend years in hot (though often cold) pursuit of the forgotten author of one of his favorite books (that's the premise, btw: Mark read a novel titled "The Stones of Summer" published in the 1970s and written by Dow Mossman, thought it was amazing, went to buy all the author's other books and discovered that not only did this Dow fellow never write anything else, but he seems to have vanished off the face of the planet) and yet Mark's also implacably impassive, always good-natured but never truly excited, no matter how fortuitous his cross-country odyssey seems to be going. Stone Reader broaches large questions about the nature of creativity and genius, about the power of art, and about how our culture treats its artists (among other crucial topics). Over the upcoming months this wondrous experience is touring the country. Do not miss at all costs.

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