Céline Roustan
At a demolition derby, a bunch of cars compete against one another. The drivers run their cars into each other, a little bit like bumper cars, except that here you have to destroy the other vehicles. The last car standing is the winner! In Wrecked a Bunch of Cars, Had a Good Time, directors Matt Ferrin and S/W alum James P. Gannon (Deerwoords Deathtrap, The Christmas Light Killer, Smoke Bomb Boys) brought film cameras to the fairgrounds in Durham, Connecticut, to capture a demolition derby, its atmosphere and its aficionados.
“Watching the cars come out and smash into each other awakened something exciting in us”
“We went to our first derby on a whim a decade ago at a county fair,” the directors confessed. Immediately taken by the scene and the subculture in general, “watching the cars come out and smash into each other awakened something exciting in us; it was a mix of action, competition, and community”. While those qualities inspired them, it was only years later that they decided to make demolition derby drivers the protagonists of their first feature. For their proof of concept, they went to a derby, and as they started immersing themselves in that world, they decided to make this short documentary.
The atmosphere is indeed fascinating, with a unique vibe that they had to shoot on film. The visual aesthetic is incredibly inviting and immersive. Its grittiness adds an undeniable sensory quality to the film, while DP Adam Ginsberg frames the action perfectly, bringing the beauty of it all to the screen. The directors explained that happy accidents also contributed to the look of the film. Using expired film introduced unexpected impurities that ultimately enhance the story, much like the footage used during the end credits, which comes from a roll that broke inside the camera. All of this contributes both visually and narratively to the film, creating a uniquely engaging viewing experience.
“We showed up with a couple of 16mm cameras, a couple of Super 8 cameras, a bunch of new and expired film and just went for it.” – Ferrin & Gannon discussing their production.
My favourite kind of documentary is one where, when the camera starts rolling, no one knows exactly where it will go. That’s exactly what happened to Ferrin and Gannon: “we didn’t know if we were going to have a movie when we started filming that evening, but 6 hours later we had an hour and a half of film in the can and a rough idea of what this could become”. They lucked out with the participants they decided to follow, who not only brought their own unique charisma and candidly shared their passion, but two of them also ended up winning the contest! Some sequences are more observational, immersing us in the derby, while editor Jason Tippet strikes the perfect balance with the talking heads, allowing the audience to gain a better understanding of this world and what drives these competitors to take part.
Wrecked a Bunch of Cars, Had a Good Time had its world premiere at the 2024 edition of TIFF and went on to be selected at multiple festivals, including Fantastic Fest, Aspen Shortsfest, and the Palm Springs ShortFest. The directing duo is currently in pre-production on Hardpan. While Gannon’s new short, Jimmy’s Custom Coffin, is about to premiere at the upcoming edition of Fantastic Fest.