In July of 2003, Doug Bruce, a perfectly normal young Englishman, took the New York subway only to wind up in Coney Island the following day, with no recollection of who he was. Bruce’s severe retrograde amnesia – a case surely destined for the pages of an Oliver Sachs tome - is explored in this documentary by friend and filmmaker, Rupert Murray.
From the outset, it’s an extraordinary adventure. Bruce, unable to remember anything from his mother to the taste of chocolate ice-cream, has to relearn his own personal history and everything around him. Family and friends interviewed here admit they miss his caustic wit of old, but as he slowly rebuilds his life, a kinder, gentler Bruce finds he has less and less interest in recovering past memories.
While Michel Gondry has already cried foul, questioning the veracity of the entire project, if they’re faking then this is not the moving, fascinating film it seems to be Actually, it’s better. As a documentary, it’s accomplished, but if a mockumentary, then it’s practically a masterpiece.