FINDERS KEEPERS
A few days ago, our very own John Pugh suggested that the James Franco/Jonah Hill thriller, “True Story”, was solid proof that truth is stranger than fiction. The new documentary, “Finders Keepers”, is an even stronger example of this theory.
“Finders Keepers” weaves itstale around ShannonWhisnant–a colorful southerner who gets the surprise of his life after purchasing a barbecue smoker at a storage unit auction. While cleaning the smoker out, Shannon is shocked to discover an amputated leg inside. Unaware of how the leg got there, the entrepreneur in Shannon quickly realizes there is money to be made from this disturbing discovery.
Trouble arises however, when a man named John Wood comes forward claiming the mysterious body part is his and that he lost it in a plane crash.
It is downright impossible to watch this movie and not laugh at the sheer absurdity of what’s going on, but about 20 minutes in, something strange happens. Layers are peeled away and we begin to see these men for who they really are. And the impact that these colorful, real life characters inadvertently have on each other is really what drives this fantastic documentary from Bryan Carberry and J. Clay Tweel.
For a doc about a legal battle involving a severed leg, it doesn’t get any more poignant than “Finders Keepers”. As this bizarre story continues to unfold, it becomes perfectly clear that this leg represents a great deal to both men for wildly different reasons.
Best of all though, “Finders Keepers” is immensely entertaining. It’s fascinating, funny, sweet, sad, heartwarming, and endlessly weird. That’s more than I can say for half of the films I’ve seen at the fest this year. In short, “Finders Keepers” is easily the best documentary I’ve seen at Sundance 2015 thus far. A must-see!
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