~90 minutes, Hulu
The Gray Areas
First off, I’ll just cut to the chase: you should absolutely see this film. It is fantastic, and anything I say below this point that might in any way put you off should be ignored.
I more or less grew up in theatre. I like the possibilities of live performance, and always have. As much as I’d like to reach a massive audience, I also deeply enjoy and appreciate just reaching a few people at a time. Of all my writing efforts, I am most proud of a stage play I wrote – partially because you can get away with manipulating reality on stage in ways that might not work as well on a screen, and I found some very funny and entertaining ways to exploit that.
Derek DelGaudio does the same thing, in “In & Of Itself,” but he found ways to manipulate reality that instead generate pathos. I have to say, I wish I had thought of that.
“In & Of Itself” sells itself on Hulu as “a new kind of lyric poem.” I have to say I have no idea what that means. I suspect that terminology was selected because it didn’t mean much. Essentially, it’s the film of a performance art piece that relies heavily on (supposedly) autobiographical storytelling. However, honestly, at its heart, it’s a magic performance. So yeah, it’s a film of a magic show. Wait, don’t stop reading. Let me clarify that.
Why Should You Care About A Magic Show
I think the most important thing most people forget about stage magic is that it is something that has always been part of live theatre. Even all the way back to ancient Greece there were illusions to make the gods appear on stage. Like stage fighting performers and stunt men, magicians are a special class of performer.
I have always loved magic tricks. In my office, next to my vocal booth, I always have a close-up mat, a special three-way mirror and a deck of cards. One of the things I like about practicing sleight of hand is how difficult it is. When DelGaudio talks about spending eight years learning how to hold a deck of cards, he is not joking. I have spent a year learning to hold a deck of cards and I know for a fact I have a long way to go. There are no geniuses at sleight of hand, there is only practice, practice, practice.
Weirdly, though, the mechanics of the performance are basically irrelevant. What the magician wants is to create an experience for the audience that transcends “look at what I can do.” That is not an easy mark to hit. DelGaudio has absolutely nailed it.
He makes it very clear that he is deceiving the audience, but never comes right out and says it. One of the first things he does is a demonstration of card handling, so we all know we’re being shown stage magic, but the construction of the show and its content make that irrelevant. Like the Greeks with their deus ex machina, the deception just becomes a tool used by the performer to create an experience.
In a very real way, this film represents something magicians have been striving for for more than a century: a way to make magic about something.
You Will Decide What This Is
In many ways, the story of the show is about identity and secrets, and how they interact with each other in both complementary and conflicting ways. How much of his stories are truly autobiographical? Probably less than 100% - but that doesn’t matter. What matters is his ability to make the audience confront these things in themselves.
It’s hard to write much about this film, because I don’t want to ruin it for you by putting too many ideas in your head about it before you see it. The point is more about questions than answers, so I don’t want to give you too many of the latter.
From a technical standpoint, it’s an excellent demonstration of magical technique, but more than that, it’s a fantastic experience. Check it out on Hulu, you will be glad you did, and hopefully also glad I didn’t make this review more explicit.
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