Very interesting

I thought this was an incredibly intriguing subject matter. The film really seems to be a study of the ups and downs of Sharkey and what is perhaps a mental illness he may have. While the backdrop of the Minnesota gubernatorial campaigning process is also a main point in the film, it unassumingly gets into the character and weirdness of Sharkey and makes this the main focus of the film.

The media excerpts were interesting to me because they were almost a background buzz of what seemed like judgmental interviews and assumptions about Sharkey, only to be juxtaposed with the subtlety and neutrality of the filmmaker. Apart from being informative about Sharkey's intentions and the tremendous wave of media attention upon Sharkey's announcement to run for Governor, it had me asking myself if the man was truly interested in the politics of it all. It was refreshing to come back from the media clips and back into the actual documentary footage, as if we were eased back into a "safe place" where Sharkey felt more comfortable.

I found the interview(s) with the two men in the trailer park, Sharkey's former wrestling coach and a friend, a nice break from the constant bizarreness of Sharkey and his family. In perhaps what was one of the only "happy" moment of the film, the two men "wrastle" and goof around with the filmmakers.

This is an excellent documentary, the way they should be done: with neutrality and genuine insight and interest in the subject and an informative follow up on the subjects in the end. I hope this director continues to make films, this is definitely a keeper.