DOXA 2016 review: Nuts!

USA

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      One of the more unusual things about this quirky feature doc—other than its protagonist’s claim to fame—is the unorthodox conceit of using its subject’s biographer as narrator. This enables a story line that makes it possible, even ethical (and, perhaps, essential), to entertainingly mislead the viewer before the big reveal. In the case of infamous Depression-era doctor John R. Brinkley, this takes place, in finest Perry Mason hubris-destroying style, in a courtroom.

      The good doctor rose from Dust-Bowl anonymity in Milford, Kansas, to regional and national fame because of his freakish male-impotence therapy: grafting goat testicles to human scrotums. With both medical-profession and political enemies gunning for him, the ultrarich Brinkley made a run for the office of governor and, at the onset of commercial radio, set up the first pirate station with the world’s most powerful signal. Director Penny Lane’s eccentric mixture of animation, archival shots, and live interviews scored a Sundance jury editing award and holds the attention. 

       

      Showtimes

      Places to go nearby

      Approx. 15 minutes away

      Comments