Darkon (2006)



We watched the documentary Darkon tonight, and very much enjoyed it. It's about a group of LARPers (wait, I'll explain) in the Baltimore area and their imaginary RPG world called Darkon. I knew that Live Action Role-Playing existed, but this film really opened my eyes to the inner workings of it. It does a great job of weaving the subjects real lives in with their dressing up and fighting with padded swords. This was a true documentary in the sense that the filmmakers just shot tons and tons of footage and then let the story come together in the editing room. There was no slant, no judgment, no ridicule. No one is made to look absurd, and even their own most damning statements about themselves are so well put together that you're more fascinated than repulsed. It would have been very, very easy to make the participants out to be losers, outcasts or freaks since they get together on soccer fields and wage magical 10th century warfare against one another, but everyone comes off fairly even handedly. It didn't make me want to be a knight, but I think it's pretty hardcore to own plate armour.
- posted by Mason @ 11:34 PM