Good evening.
I'm Helen Mirren,
and you're watching Documentary Now!
For the past 50 years,
Documentary Now! has presented audiences
with the world's most thought-provoking cinema.
This season, to celebrate our golden anniversary,
we take a look back at the films
that helped shape, change, and innovate
the world of documentary.
Filmmakers Larry and Abraham Fein
believed the key to crafting a documentary
was to observe, not to direct.
In 1975, they observed the world
of Big Vivvy and Little Vivvy Van Kimpton
in the seminal classic, Sandy Passage.
Vivvy.
Mother!
Vivvy.
Where are you?
I'm downstairs!
Vivvy, the raccoon's back.
Well, stop feeding it!
I don't feed it.
That's the whole reason it comes back
is 'cause you feed it.
Get out!
Get out, raccoon.
Get out of here.
Don't feed it!
Get out!
Oh, sure, it's... you know, it's a gorgeous town,
but mother and I, we know the ugly part,
the underbelly, and it's...
You know, it's sad.
They harass us because they don't agree with our politics.
You know, they're sending the police
to tell us the house isn't up to code
and there are health violations, but it's just harassment.
That's all it is. It's just harassment.
There they are.
Hello, Larry.
Hi.
Hello, Alfred.
You boys look very, very handsome, very healthy today.
- Thank you. - How we doing?
- Doing great. - Oh, good.
- Yeah, beautiful day. - It is beautiful.
You look very pretty. You look...
- Oh. Thank you. - Tell us about your outfit.
Um, this here is a skirt that I safety pin on.
And if I want, I can make it a cape.
And this...
what this is is that I take sweatpants,
and I wrap them around my head.
This is what I do in the fall,
because it is a...
um, it's very practical as a built-in scarf.
But I'll tell you,
mother doesn't like it.
Mother doesn't like it at all.
Yeah, let me show you the garden.
Planted some bean sprouts right there,
and, uh, some tomatoes over there.
And...
It all died.
Nothing really grows here.
It's so sad.
Looks great, David.
That's David.
He tends the garden.
Oh, Alfred.
I have some photos for you.
Look how beautiful my mother was.
Look at this.
See how beautiful she is?
This is from a famous photographer
named Emil LaRue.
Oh. Oh, here's a painting.
Beautiful painting of Mother.
Look at this.
Can you believe this?
Who painted this, Mother?
George Wellfeather.
Isn't that gorgeous?
This is a sketch that someone did
of Mother at a... at a carnival.
Isn't that nice?
She's on roller skates.
And there's a plane skywriting "Big Vivvy."
And, um...
She can't really roller skate, though.
Look at that. Isn't she beautiful?
I used to roller skate all around the rink.
Isn't she beautiful?
This is a police sketch of Mom.
- Put that away. - That, um...
- Put that down. - Shh! Shh!
Her top fell off while she was walking down the street...
Vivvy, put that away.
And this mother and children...
I didn't realize it had fallen off.
They gave descriptions of Mom to the police,
and the guy did a wonderful job.
Look at that.
It doesn't look anything like me.
Looks beautiful. Looks just like you.
I'm gonna show you
one of my favorite rooms in the house.
Look at this.
We have our own stage.
Isn't it beautiful?
This is where I first learned to dance.
I have memories of...
Vivvy!
Oh, my god. That's it. Go, go, go.
She went all the way through.
Vivvy.
What did you do?
What happened?
I fell through the floor again.
It's because you stomp.
I don't stomp!
I'm always telling you.
You got floor all in my Lima beans.
The whole house is gonna come down.
- I'm all right. - You okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
It's because you stomp.
I don't stomp.
Look at that.
So that is where I learned to dance.
- My knee is really... - What about the floor?
I'll get to the floor!
That rat's dead.
There's a dead rat over there.
So sad.
Hi, Barry.
Do you have my corn?
Barry gets our groceries for us.
We don't know what we would do without Barry.
So good to us, Barry.
Barry, you could take that down into the kitchen.
- Thank you, Barry. - All right.
Thank you.
It's very awkward
with Barry.
Why is it awkward with Barry?
You know, because...
he wants to have sex with me.
- No, he doesn't. - He's attracted...
Yes, he does.
Mother never believed that I have suitors.
I have many suitors.
And... but she chases them all away, don't you?
I don't chase anyone away.
You chase everybody. You go and chase people away.
- I don't chase anybody away. - Who?
Stephen St. Regis?
Stephen St. Regis.
I have a picture of Stephen St. Regis.
He's a beautiful boy.
Stephen St...
Not this album.
We don't look in this album.
Stephen St. Regis.
He's in another one.
There he is. Look.
Stephen St. Regis. Beautiful boy.
And he loved me.
She invited him to dinner,
and then she blacked out.
I took the wrong prescription!
A prescription never calls for a handful of pills.
See what I have to deal with?
Every day I have to deal with this.
Okay, you little monsters.
Here you go.
There's your cornfiakes.
Eat up, you little... little jerk.
Here you go.
- Eat up.
Eat up.
Eat up, you little monster.
You want something too?
How do I look?
Oh, hello, Officers.
- How are you? - Miss Van Kimpton.
Wondering if we could have a word
with you and your mother.
You know, I'm so tired of this constant harassment.
I mean, what is it, our... our... our roof not up to code?
Is our septic tank overflowing?
No, that's not why we're here.
But your septic tank is overflowing.
Deputy.
You can smell it from a mile out.
You recognize this man?
That's Anthony!
Mother, look! It's Anthony!
Do you remember him?
Course I remember him.
I'm not senile.
Yeah, we remember Anthony.
No, yeah, he used to deliver groceries before Barry.
Well, it's interesting you say that,
because the last he was seen was leaving the store
to deliver you groceries two weeks ago.
Any idea where he might be,
what might have happened to him?
How do we know what he does with his time?
You know what,
the thing about Anthony was, he was very sad.
No... no, he wasn't. He was fine.
I think the reason is, is because he...
you know, he wanted to have sex with me.
He most certainly did not.
How do you know, Mother?
How do you know?
You can't read people the way I can.
So you have no idea where he might be?
Look, I don't... Could you leave us alone, please?
Get out of here.
This is not your property.
Here we go again.
The cat hasn't eaten
one piece of that bread, Mother.
Let it finish a piece of bread
before you throw down more bread.
Mm... Don't do that.
Don't do that.
I don't like the country.
Constricts my spirits.
If you don't like it, leave.
I will leave.
I would go to the city. I would dance.
- I'm an amazing dancer. - Dancer.
Would you like to see me dance?
- I'm a good dancer. - Huh?
I used to be an amazing dancer.
Would you like to see me dance?
♪ Can't you see ♪
♪ And finger work, finger wag ♪
♪ Side step, side ♪
All right. That's enough.
Eww. Mosquitoes everywhere.
Barry! Bug spray!
I was supposed to be a chorus girl,
but I was too tall
and talkative.
Apparently chorus girls aren't supposed to talk.
But I was always saying things during the shows.
I would shout, "Don't trust him!"
Or "This is slow! Rewrite!"
I was always calling for rewrites.
And the directors would shush me.
They would say, "Don't do that.
Don't do that." Barry!
Show business.
They don't like women with opinions.
And that's what happens.
People get very angry.
Barry. I'm getting eaten alive.
Did you bring the bug spray?
Okay.
Get all of me.
Get everywhere.
Don't be shy.
Get everywhere.
Phew.
You know, I lived in New York, and I was very happy.
I was very happy in New York.
But I had to come back here
when my mother got ill to take care of her.
My knee exploded.
Your knee didn't explode!
She tore her MCL.
Chasing a squirrel.
It was trying to take my sandwich.
It was not trying... How?
How was it trying to take your sandwich?
It bit into it and then shuffled backwards.
Do you know I could have gotten married?
I really could.
I could have gotten married.
But I... Every boy I brought home, Mother didn't like.
Not this again.
Loubamir. You remember him?
- He was a Czech count. - He was destitute.
He was a Czech count! He played violin.
He was very sweet,
and Mother got rid of him in 15 minutes!
And his family was penniless.
He proposed to me from that tree.
Please.
A dog chased him up it,
but he still proposed.
But mother wouldn't allow it.
I don't know what we would do without you, Barry.
You really are the glue that holds this whole house together.
You really are.
Barry's helped us out
in ways I can't even explain.
Plane, plane.
Plane, plane, plane.
Oh, my word.
They're still just sitting there.
I don't know... what are they looking for?
Hi, boys.
Oh, no.
Did I startle you?
I'm sorry for startling you.
- It's okay. - Oh, no.
What are we looking at?
Those awful, awful people.
We should cut them from the movie.
They shouldn't be in the movie.
- You know? - Yeah, okay.
Okay.
All right.
- We got to get out of here. - What?
- I don't like it. - Dude, are you kidding me?
After three weeks, finally something is happening?
No, we are not leaving.
Boys!
Hey, you want to see me do another dance?
Yeah, we'll be right there.
You cannot tell me
that you are actually afraid of these two loons.
No, no, hey come on. It's not that.
I did... I... I don't know, okay?
It... it feels weird not knowing.
Then if you don't know, then... then we're staying.
That's what we're doing, if you don't know.
- Do you want to watch me eat? - Uh...
Do you boys want to watch me eat?
- Sure. - Mother and I are gonna eat.
Okay.
What are we talking about?
We're... we're just, uh, kind of...
- Setting up the shots. - Shots.
- Shots. Shots. - Yeah.
Let's get away from those awful people.
- Yeah. - Yeah, sounds good.
- Come on. - Okay.
Mother is gonna eat
something out of a... some tuna can.
Tyler would play the music and Mother would sing.
Mother had a beautiful voice.
I was a wonderful singer.
Mother, why don't you sing Pitter-patter
for... for the boys?
♪ Pitter-patter ♪
♪ It's just my heart ♪
♪ What does it matter? ♪
♪ Dreams are dreamt ♪
♪ And then they shatter ♪
♪ Pitter-patter ♪
Isn't that lovely?
You know, she made a record,
but father wouldn't pay to have it pressed.
We handed it to him and he looked at it
and he... and he feigned interest.
And then he just stepped back,
he hauled off and chucked it on the roof.
And it was winter, and so it took us,
what, till spring?
Till the spring.
For the snow to thaw.
- To retrieve it. - It was awful.
And this is our only copy.
So mean.
Very sorry about the situation with the food.
I called the grocer,
and no one knows where Barry is.
I mean, these grocery boys, you can't trust them nowadays.
They just think they can do whatever they want.
And I really don't care if I ever see Barry again.
I really don't. I don't...
I don't care if I ever see Barry again.
You can't trust people these days.
- We shouldn't be in here. - We got to be here.
- Oh, my god, this is wrong. - God, it stinks in here.
- I know. Come on. - Wait. Stop.
I can't see anything. Please turn on a light.
All right, hang on a second.
Oh, shit!
- Is she asleep? - Wait.
It's okay. It's how she sleeps.
Is this it?
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's it.
Let's get out of here.
You getting this?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it.
That's, uh... that's... that's Loubamir.
Loubamir, yeah.
Oh, my god, is that blood?
Jesus.
Stephen St. Regis, Alfred.
That's who she talked about.
Wait. Is that... is that Anthony?
- That is Anthony. - Oh, god.
That's the delivery boy.
Yeah, yeah, it is.
Alfred, that's it. We got enough, right?
- No. - This is it.
Oh, no, this isn't enough proof.
- We... we need more proof. - Alfred.
One more day, and then that's it.
Fine. One more day.
- You boys are up late. - Yeah, we know.
We... we couldn't sleep, so, uh...
Yeah, just getting some extra kitchen shots.
Yeah, shots.
The oven.
Oh. Do you want to see something?
Uh, sure.
Yeah, I want to show you something.
- All right. - Come.
She knows.
No, no, she doesn't know. Now, come on.
You guys want extra shots, I can show you something.
- Come on. - Great.
- Come on.
I'm gonna show you the basement.
Mother doesn't like it when people come into the basement.
But we don't need to see the whole house.
Alfred, I think your brother's afraid of the dark.
Watch your step.
'Cause there's a painting of Mother here
that I want to show you.
Where is it? Is it over here?
Yes.
It's not over here.
Over here.
Are you familiar with the agent Saul Fields?
Saul Fields saw me walking down Fifth Avenue in New York,
and he said, "I'm gonna make you a star.
Said, "I'm gonna make you a star.
Just come to my office."
And I made an appointment.
And I came in,
but I came in a year late.
And I came in, they said,
"Who the hell are you?"
I said, "I'm here to see Mr. Fields."
Oh, sh... Oh, god.
Uh, oh, we got to go.
You're not supposed to be in there.
We'll be back. Uh, same time tomorrow!
You're not supposed to be in there.
We'll-we'll see you tomorrow, Vivvy.
You're not supposed to be in there!
Oh, no!
People shouldn't go in the basement.
Vivvy invited us down.
Yeah, we weren't down on our own.
Did you enjoy your reading?
Alfred, no!
Reading those weren't for you.
What are you doing now?
Oh, no, no, no!
Oh, Jesus.
"Mrs. Vivvy Fein."
Jesus.
What the...
Oh, my god.
No, no, no.
Shit. Larry.
Larry.
Okay.
God.
Larry.
Larry!
Oh, my god. No.
No, no, no, no, no.
So sad.
- Don't scream. - You'll wake the neighbors.
No, no, no, please.
Oh, no!
♪ Pitter-patter ♪
♪ Just my... ♪
♪ Dreams are dreamed ♪
♪ And then they shatter ♪
Twirl around like that...
I just did!
Not a pirouette.
That's not a pirouette.