Theory of Obscurity: A film about The Residents
Dir: Don Hardy
2015
****
Don Hardy's Theory of Obscurity documents the 40 year history of the avant-garde musician/film makers The Residents. No mean feat considering the group have remained anonymous for four decades and refused to partake in the film (although they gave their blessing). Luckily, us Residents fans are impulsive collectors and Hardy and team have managed to track down plenty of rarely seen footage and have interviewed many of the group's collaborators over the years as well as collect testimonials from an array of celebrity fans. Hardy's interviews with the mysterious Cryptic Corporation, the Residents management committee, are the most revealing but also make you wonder if it is actually them that are the band in disguise. This is just one of many mysteries the film kicks up but certainly not what the films is all about. Instead of producing a formulaic biography, something that wouldn't suit the band at all, Hardy has used the group as an example of the power of obscurity and in doing so undermines the credibility of the term 'celebrity'. We learn of the bands roots, we see their influence and we see plenty of footage that has been seldom seen, enough to keep the fans happy, but we also learn so much more about the bands ideology, manifesto is probably the wrong word but what was agreed in the beginning is what has kept the group together and organic. The Residents have done the exact opposite than what bands are supposed to do, sure they've sold a lot of merchandise but there is an integrity about them that is seldom seen in the music industry. You either love them or you hate them, you can't really criticize them though because as the film's introduction proclaimer states 'The Residents don't exist'.