HAVE YOU SEEN CLEM
Erich Lyttle
2003, USA, 93 min
World Premiere

www.haveyouseenclem.com

Is there a hotter hot-button issue around here than homelessness? It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to take on the subject at all, but to make a comedy about it is truly reckless. This seat-of-their-pants “docu-dram-edy “ is an inspired fusion of documentary, comedy, drama and surreptitiously filmed pranks that simply refuses to be predictable.

With a screenplay credit that reads, “Written by: Itself,” don’t expect an entirely seamless plot, but this tall tale concerns young Jaymo, a Portland skateboarding lay-about suddenly kicked out of his girlfriend’s apartment and living in his car. He’s been working on his epic skate documentary, “The Grind Kings of Burnside,” for years, but decides to turn his camera on the homeless folks he now lives among. He takes a special interest in one particularly strange homeless guy everyone knows as Clem. Clem’s got a secret, though, and soon enough “Clem” and Jaymo are on a cross-country adventure, shooting interviews in homeless encampments all over America, to find out what life is really like living on the streets. Nashville, Austin, New Orleans, Santa Barbara, San Francisco-every town’s got folks living on the streets, getting by any way they can, and we meet a bunch of them-like Captain Kidd in Key West, Vampire Mike in San Francisco, and Sage Gentle-Wing in Austin. And some of them play some amazing music-the film’s truly spectacular soundtrack is all recorded by street musicians. It’s a gorgeous, crazy little movie with a big heart that may change your mind about a few things.

-Tod Booth

In attendance: Director Erich Lyttle, DP/Editor Ethan Shiels, Producer Dan Wilkins, soundman Austin Storms, cast members Chris "Jaymo" Jamieson and Tony" Lozit and a surprise or two.