Mark Reviews Movies: RED, WHITE & WASTED

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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 10, 2020

Directors Sam Jones and Andrei Bowden Schwartz follow a family of self-proclaimed "rednecks" in Red, White & Wasted, and we come away from this documentary with a sense of frightening understanding and real despair. The only admirable thing about most of these people is that keep going, no matter what life throws at them. Life does throw a lot at them, but they also find ways of piling new troubles upon themselves. Unable to determine which is which or to see the messes they've created for themselves, they're looking for someone or some group of people to blame.

The story here takes place in Orlando, Florida, during the lead-up to and the aftermath of the 2016 election. That's notable, perhaps, because we see the "economic anxiety" that became the subject of so many post-election analyses. We also how racism, xenophobia, and real, angry bigotry is intrinsically connected to that anxiety.

Old ways of life, such as the mud holes that provided entertainment and escape for a long time, are disappearing. Corporations are pushing these people into smaller areas. If there are jobs around these parts, they're unavailable to them.

Who's to blame for all this? The answers are multitudinous, but around these parts and in the minds of its inhabitants, the blame falls squarely on immigrants. They're also mad that the Confederate flag is looked down upon, and they have a few racial epithets to toss into that debate.

The main subject is Matthew "Video Pat" Burns, who used to earn money scrapping and selling videos of trucks making big splashes in the mud. A brushfire takes away the mud hole, so now, he only has scrapping to fend for himself, as well as two teenage daughters.

There's a lot of anger and resentment here, and while the underlying emotions are certainly earned, the filmmakers don't try to sugarcoat the way these people react. It's ugly, hateful, and sometimes disturbing.

Every step forward—such as how Burns has a new appreciation for life after meeting his grandson and one of his daughters declares that she's not racist anymore—is undermined—such as our main figure trying to reclaim his videotaping glory and the daughter immediately following her claim with an unprompted, racist tirade. Red, White & Wasted isn't pleasant, but it is honest about the nasty lies some people tell themselves to get through the day.

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