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Bagging the “Real America”
By Alex D. da Silva, co-director of Paper or Plastic?
(from the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival)
Our film started in a very casual way. Our executive producer, Oren Jacob, had a simple conversation with friends about their first jobs, and he became aware of the National Grocery Bagging competition. Instantly, he was committed to telling this story. After Justine Jacob, our co-director and producer, won the best pitch award at the Sundance Producers Conference, we were up and running.
I was intrigued at how much interest the subject generated. People seemed attracted by this common, easily observed and bizarrely entertaining event. I could understand the charm and appeal of it, but haven't too many of these competition movies been done? However, a good documentary is never made of certainties. So, with five months to go before the national competition in Las Vegas, we took off and traveled to more than 20 states to visit bagging competitions and meet champions in their quest to become the 2007 U.S. Best Bagger.
At that time, I had been living in the U.S. for eight years. I moved in 1999 from Brazil to the San Francisco Bay Area and, while living here, had visited other parts of California, New York, Texas and Hawaii. But I had never been to the Mid-West and the South - places where people were, supposedly, different. These were the places that had elected George W. Bush to President. With this film, I was to visit the "real America," and I wasn't sure what to expect.
It was quite a journey. It never ceased to amaze us how, throughout the country, people welcomed us and our cameras into their homes and workplaces. We found different ideas and beliefs but never intolerance. At the end, we had met a diverse, honest and generous group of individuals who shared with us their work ethic, competitive edge, inspiration and humor. I left these places and individuals feeling I had a better insight into the heart of America.
The inspiration for the film was to tell a story about excelling in life no matter what you do. One of the things that resonated with me was that we found the setting to tell this story in the one of the commonest places: the supermarket. Here is a place we all go on a weekly if not daily basis. It is a central hub for many communities; it was better people-watching than the airport. I loved seeing the variations in the stores and the customers, but, despite any differences, there was always the bagger and the bagger's focus on customer service. Our characters exemplify the best of this position. They are not obsessed with bagging; it's what they do at work. But their view is, if it's their job to be courteous and efficient, why not be the best at it?
After returning home from the national competition, what at first had seemed so simple - to tell a story about a national competition through these individuals - turned out to be a huge challenge. We wanted to create a portrait of the diversity of the U.S. and yet bring out the commonalities we share. We also wanted to walk that fine line of bringing out the humor in the film - after all, it is a bagging competition - without making fun of the contestants for whom we had developed a great deal of respect and who had inspired us in so many ways.
We refined and reworked the story many times, and are grateful to all those involved in this process. In the end, Paper or Plastic? was the most satisfying and trying project I ever worked on. My hope is that, first and foremost, the audience is entertained. And next, that they are motivated to celebrate excellence in even the most mundane tasks and to strive to do their best at whatever inspires them.
Film Synopsis
Paper or Plastic? is a character-driven documentary that follows contestants as they prepare for the National Grocers Association's Best Bagger competition in Las Vegas. Using the competition as a backdrop, the film delves into the lives of a diverse group of eight individuals and reveals a slice of Americana often overlooked and taken for granted.
No matter where we are in life or what we do for a living, we all shop at the grocery store. And the checker or bagger is often the last personal contact we have with an employee in the store. It is here, at the end of the checkout aisle, that Paper or Plastic? shows the pride and effort these individuals put into their job to be the best at what they do. It captures the spirit of working-class Americans.
But Americans don't only work hard; they also like to have fun, and the world of competitive grocery bagging is often bizarrely and unexpectedly entertaining. Contestants unveil their competitive side as they train and take the competition - but never themselves - seriously. Spanning the U.S., they are the heart of the bagging competition, their workplaces and of Paper or Plastic? -MPM
Photo - Brian at Vegas - courtesy of the filmmaker.Paper or Plastic? screens at the Los Angeles Film Festival, which runs from June 19 to June 29. Click HERE for ticket information. |
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