A story about one father’s larger-than-life personality, his shadowy extra-curricular activities, and the effect they had on his loving family. This is Devin Scott’s faux documentary, Long Live Xander The Great.
The quote “Everyone has a story” is a reminder that each and every person has a unique journey to share. It’s a message of hope and inspiration, suggesting that we are all connected by very similar experiences, no matter how different we think we may be. Devin Scott has created a 25-minute documentary that comes across as a very personal story but is actually completely made up.
True Fiction is a filmmaking style that blends elements of documentary and fiction. The goal of True Fiction is to create a story that feels as real as possible, even though it is completely original and director Devin Scott has certainly accomplished that. The story begins very ordinarily, but as we hit the halfway point we are given a twist that turns it into something far more unusual. All stories interest us, good stories educate us, while the best stories connect us with one another. Devin Scott’s story does all three while also managing to be thoroughly entertaining.
Families create their own stories, which are passed down from generation to generation. These stories can preserve the past, but they can also obscure or distort it, Long Live Xander The Great is about a father, but it is more than just a portrait of him, it is about the nature of a personality and it doesn’t pull any punches. We are told that Alexander could be a loving, protective father and husband at times, but, more often than not, he was absent from his wife and kids, constantly traveling the country with friends and mistresses. Without putting this man on a pedestal or condemning him completely, Scott explores the ways in which developing one character’s narcissism can help to create a great story, but how their childishness, irresponsibility, and selfishness ultimately comes at the expense of his family.
Using home video footage that he found in thrift and second-hand stores, Scott tells the story of ‘Xander The Great’ from the mid 60’s through to the mid 70’s, giving us a portrait of this character’s life and presenting it in visual fragments. He is an attractive, confident, and cocky young man who loves motorcycles, entertaining crowds, and hanging with his friends. When discussing the film it is important to avoid spoiling the surprises that it has in store. These occurrences, thanks to Scott’s well-written script, come across as factual, and this is essential to the film’s impact. As the short progresses, viewers are forced to re-evaluate their understanding of Alexander as new details about his character and activities emerge. The twists in the film are not about tricking the audience, but rather about challenging our assumptions and pre-judgments, inviting us to see the world in a new way. These surprises do not come across as cheap “Gotcha” moments, but rather as revelations adding depth and complexity to the story. It wouldn’t be over-stating things to say that Alexander’s life begins to resemble the plot of Point Break, which is the only time we begin to doubt the story’s authenticity. The narration by Jordan Jacobo is punchy and energetic giving us a real feel for Alexander’s personality while the music is a constant throughout the film managing to be both moving and affectionate.
Long Live Xander the Great is both engaging and thought-provoking, it shows how the true fiction filmmaking style can be used to create powerful and moving narratives that challenge us to think about the stories we tell ourselves and the ways in which they shape our understanding of the world.
True stories have a way of neatening things up and ironing out wrinkles, but Devin Scott doesn’t bother with any of that, he just hangs Xander’s washing out to dry with the wrinkles facing everyone. In the end, airing his protagonist’s laundry so others can judge him becomes a fitting eulogy for such a complex character who always loved a crowd.
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