There’s the part of Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky’s documentary that’s fascinating to a resolute non-gamer simply for the things one can learn about the industry; then there’s the part that’s engrossing just because it finds a completely new way to tell a very familiar story about people trying to make art their life’s work when the odds are always against them. Over the course of a year, the filmmakers primarily follow two work-in-progress games and the people behind them, while also providing context for the independent game-designer culture that has evolved in much the same way indie counterpoints to corporate mainstream have evolved in music, film, etc. Great human drama emerges in both of the primary storylines--legal battles with ex-partners; the anxiety of approaching release dates--capturing the wonderfully indiosyncratic programmers in all their geeky glory. But it’s also simply a celebration of spiky, unusual approaches to creative work that's done in isolation in hope that it might connect to someone out in the world. It finds true art in making a little meat-boy jump over buzzsaws. (Scott Renshaw)
