SXSW Film

Lost in Woonsocket

D: John Chester

If you can make it past this documentary's two main problems – its manipulative, weepy, folk soundtrack and the fact that one of the protagonists, Andre Miller, acts exactly like the goofy-ass youth minister who used to hang out at your junior high – you're rewarded with a pretty decent film. Based on the short-lived A&E reality show Random 1, Lost in Woonsocket follows the show's two stars in their often-bumbling attempt to help a homeless alcoholic. You get the feeling the two have had absolutely no training in dealing with the situation (they give the guy two 40s before taking him to rehab), but they obviously care about helping, to the point of coming back to the apparent shithole that is Woonsocket, R.I., to check in after their show has been canceled. It's ultimately a moving and intelligent look at the cost of actually helping someone and the impact of reality television on, you know, reality.