Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
1997 · Movie · 83 min · ★ 6.8 · 86% critics
This documentary weaves together four very different lives, each shaped by a deep fascination with animals and systems of control. Moving between a circus animal trainer, a garden artist who sculpts living hedges into creatures, a researcher studying unusual burrowing mammals, and a scientist building insect-like robots, it explores obsession, creativity, and how people make meaning through their work.
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Details
- Years
- 1997
- Release date
- 1997-10-03
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Critic score
- 86/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (43 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you like offbeat documentaries about passionate eccentrics and big ideas built from small details, in the vein of Grey Gardens or Vernon, Florida; Not for you if you want a clear, linear story.
Pros: quirky real-life characters; thought-provoking themes; memorable animal imagery | Cons: jumpy non-linear flow; can feel repetitive; connections may seem thin
Themes
- circus
- lion
- eccentric
- robot
Cast & crew
- DH
Dave Hoover
as Himself (Wild Animal Trainer)
- GM
George Mendonça
as Himself (Topiary Gardener)
- RM
Raymond A. Mendez
as Himself (Mole-Rat Specialist) (as Ray Mendez)
- RB
Rodney Brooks
as Himself - Robot Scientist
Directed by Errol Morris