Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2019, Page 38

The Outlaw
Is King
‘Bruce Lee and the Outlaw’ crowned winner of
the first edition of IceDocs Film Festival
Words: Josie Gaitens Photos: Still from movie
Film Festival Winner
IceDocs took place 17th-21st July.
Get more info at icedocs.is.
Dutch photographer and film-
ma ker Joost Va ndebr ug ha s
won the award for best fea-
ture-length documentary at the
inaugural IceDocs film festival,
for his documentary ‘Bruce Lee
and the Outlaw.’
The festival took place in
Akranes from July 17th to 21st
and saw a host of internation-
al guests visit the town over the
course of the event. The main
jury, which consisted of Ice-
landic fi lmmaker Anna Þóra
Steinþórsdóttir, deputy artistic
director of the Edinburgh In-
ternational Film Festival Diane
Henderson and film critic Jessi-
ca Kiang, also gave special men-
tion to Macedonian film, ‘Hon-
eyland.’ ‘Haunted’ by Christian
Einshøj won in the mid-length
category, and ‘All Inclusive’ by
Corina Schwingruber Ilić was
the favoured short.
Silver Fagin
‘Bruce Lee and the Outlaw’ fol-
lows the life of Nicu, a Roma-
nian street kid, as he navigates
the city of Bucharest and life as
a homeless urchin. Supporting
Nicu, who is fondly known as
“the outlaw,” is a strange and
mysterious figure—the epony-
mous Bruce Lee. No, not the one
you’re thinking of—this Bruce
L e e i s a p e t t y
criminal covered
i n si lver pai nt;
t h e s e l f p r o -
claimed king of
the underworld.
In this real-life
Oliver T w ist he
plays the role of
Fagin, caring for
a raggedy bunch
of homeless kids
a nd c re at i n g a
home for them all
in the network of
tiny tunnels underneath the city.
These cramped and unsuitable
quarters turn out to have been
built by Ceausescu and were in-
tended to be a central heating
system for the city. Throughout
the movie, the impact of the fall
of communism and the reality
it has created for the citizens
of Romania is frequently high-
lighted.
Hard to watch
There is a rea l warmth and
love between Bruce Lee and his
charges, many of whom refer to
him as ‘dad’. Still, it is incredi-
bly hard to watch as this clear-
ly kind and loving father figure
provides Nicu with the silver
Aurolac paint he is frequently
covered in, so that he can huff it
as a drug. Nicu, who it is later re-
vealed is actually 16, appears to
be perhaps a nine or ten year old
kid. These scenes are difficult,
not just because of their content
but also because it throws the
question of goodness back at the
audience. Bruce Lee is the only
person who cares about these
children and provides them with
affection, food and shelter. But
his morality, and the viewer’s,
are constantly called into ques-
tion throughout the
documentary.
‘ B r u c e L e e
and the Outlaw’ is
Joost ’s f i rst foray
into doc umentar y
filmmaking, but his
s ubje c t s were a l-
ready well known to
him as he has been
chronicling the lives
of Romanian street
children through his
photography since
2011. His sensitivity
and familiarity with his chosen
topic plays a huge role in how
the film develops, but the lack
of objectivity does not detract
from the thoughtfulness of how
the piece is delivered. The award
at IceDocs is just the latest in a
string of accolades for ‘Bruce Lee
and the Outlaw’; the documen-
tary has already won at Busan
International Film Festival, the
International TRT Documenta-
ry Awards and Munich Interna-
tional Documentary Festival.
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Not the Bruce Lee you're thinking of
“This Bruce Lee
a petty crimi-
nal covered
in silver paint,
the self pro-
claimed king
of the under-
world.”
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