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Family Name

Docurama // Unrated // September 23, 2008

List Price: $26.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]

Review by Chris Neilson | posted October 6, 2008 | E-mail the Author

Fans of the autobiographical documentaries of Ross McElwee (Sherman's March) will find much to like in Family Name, the 1997 debut documentary by Macky Alston just released on DVD. Family Name is an genological investigation in which Macky Alston sleuths links between the white and black Altsons of North Carolina. Though the most readily available answer for why they share the same name is that emancipated slaves took the last name of their former owners, Alston is particularly keen on unearthing evidence of pre-emancipation blood ties. Macky Alston's drive to unearth secrets that many blacks and whites that he interviews would prefer to remain unexamined is motivated in part by his own semi-closeted homosexuality. Alston's sluething turns up several revelations and leads him to many interesting characters, but whether one likes Family Name will turn more on one's enjoyment of the subgenre of autobiographical filmmaking than it will on the subject matter.

Presented in a 1.33:1, Family Name was shot on 8 and 16mm film. The image frequently has a washed-out appearance and minor print damage that makes it look older than it's eleven years, but these imperfections add more to the aesthetic of the film than they take away. There's no differentiation between the tracks on the 2.0 DD, but dialogue is clear and easy to understand. No subtitles are available on this release.

Extras include a curious collection of excerpts (27 min.) that are also included in the feature film, an interview iwth filmmaker Macky Alston (27 min.), filmmaker bio, and trailers for four other Docudrama releases.

Family Name is available individually or bundled with 11 other documentary releases in the DOCURAMA Film Festival, Volume 5 box set (MSRP $279.95).

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