The Dwarvenaut
Director: Josh Bishop
1 hour 24 minutes
Full disclosure--I want you to watch the Dwarvenaut. Weird name right? Dwarvenaut? Ok, I grant that, but it's a fun little documentary that you can find on Netflix and elsewhere. I suppose my saying it's a fun little documentary will be enough for some of you. What about the rest? Why should you watch?
If I can make assumptions about anyone who reads this on my blog I would assume some of you are really into gaming and some of you aren't (and some of you will be my concerned family members keeping tabs on me). At any rate, let's keep this short since you have better things to do.
Gamers will be interested in this because it's an inside look into the grand-daddy of all role-playing games and computer RPGs: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS. Namely, you are going to see Stefan Pokorny, the owner of Dwarven Forge miniatures, try to pull off a multi-million dollar kickstarter campaign. You're going to see a ton of beautiful dioramas, some fun game sessions, and a bunch of appearances by a slew of old school DnD elder gods like Tim Kask. Stefan's story about drinking with Gary Gygax's kids is worth the price of admission itself (or whatever people do to see movies these days). Whether you're new to the game or an old-school grognard there is a flood of fun and informative bits in this film. So what are you waiting for? Off with you!
I guess the rest of you who are still here aren't gamers. Why should you see this film? The short answer is that it's just a lot of fun. Stefan Pokorny isn't your average guy. He's a classically-trained artist who decided to take his training and... make tiny little sculptures for people to play a game where they pretend to be wizards and knights and maybe even orcs. I know what you're thinking. That's kinda weird. It is. That's kinda eccentric. You have no idea. And it's a lot of fun to watch Stefan go about his life trying to make that work. It's a life most of us never see. What's more, he isn't just trying to make it work. In the span of a few months he's trying to get everyone else to invest 2 million dollars into making it work. Or he's finished. Done. Off to waiting tables. So our hero sets off from New York across America drinking and schmoozing with anyone he can to keep his dream alive (all set to a funky alternative guitar soundtrack that adds to the quirkiness).
At the same time, the movie is a lot more than that. Stefan is no stranger to adversity. His dad was an American soldier stationed in Korea who abandoned Stefan and his mom, a Korean, when he was just a baby. He went to America a few years later when he was adopted by an American couple, who rejected him too. Finally, he was adopted by another American couple living in New York. Growing up in the New York of the early 80s he got into all sorts of trouble on the streets and seemed to be going nowhere fast until his parents enrolled him into an art school. I don't want to give too much away but there's a very compelling human drama that unfolds during Stefan's adventures. It all comes together to give an inspiring message about having the hope and courage to make something of yourself. Yeah that sounds a bit Pollyanna but Stefan is a type of person who makes it work.
At this point I suppose I should try to be serious and give a critical analysis of what didn't work and what could have been better. Sigh. It's a wicked world isn't it? Ok. If I had to be critical I'd say it isn't the deepest of documentaries. Sometimes it comes off as a bit of a fluff piece. There are a lot of areas that Josh Bishop (the director) could have expanded on. You get glimpses of Stefan's troubled youth but it glosses over most of it. You get a look inside the goings on at Dwarven Forge but you don't get to know anyone beyond Stefan. It's game over for everyone else if the Kickstarter campaign tanks but that is never explored. Are they worried? Are they pissed at Stefan for risking so much? Notwithstanding, there are some genuine touching moments like Stefan speaking to his parents at their gravesides. In the final analysis is this disappointing? Not really. It's a documentary on Dungeons and Dragons not Auschwitz. What is Dungeons and Dragons? It's an eclectic and a wee bit goofy game about killing monsters and taking their loot. Making an eclectic and goofy movie works for the subject matter. It also has a very real message of hope for people going through hard times or watching their loved ones go through hard times. That's me. On both counts.
In closing, the Dwarvenaut is a movie about a beautiful freak. It's pretty dark in these days of Trump, Clinton, ISIS, North Korea, climate change, and never-ending economic downturn. Stefan Pokorny is a freak we need. I wish there were more of him.
