Wisconsin Death Trip (1999)

WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP  (1999)  ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢
    D: James Marsh
    Jeff Golden, Jo Vukelich, Marcus Monroe,
    Marilyn White, John Schneider, John Baltes
A one-of-a kind documentary about murder, arson, suicide, madness, bad news, hard times, guns, graveyards and broken glass. The setting is Black River Falls, Wisconsin, between 1890 and 1900, and the film's slant on local history is not one you'd expect the chamber of commerce to go out of its way to promote. The stories are lifted directly from contemporary newspaper accounts, the black-and-white recreations look every bit as authentic as the period photographs, and the overall effect is mournful and creepy. Wisconsin in the late 19th century wasn't necessarily much weirder than any other place on earth, but a movie like this could make you wonder about that. If the subject matter is inescapably morbid, it's also an inescapable part of the human condition. Take a look.