True crime thrillers are often mainly about showing how murderers, perpetrators, etc. were convicted – or how they managed to slip through the fingers of investigators. ‘Auto Focus’ by Paul Schrader (‘Master Gardener’) deviates from this formula, although it also tells about the still unsolved murder of ‘A Cage Full of Fools’ star Bob Crane. However, he is less concerned with using a criminal story than with delving into the inner life of his ambivalent protagonist.
Haven’t seen “Autofocus” yet? You can rent the film starring Greg Kinnear (“It couldn’t get any better”) for a small fee on Amazon Prime Video. Alternatively, a purchase version is also available there. Unfortunately, the DVD for the film has been out of print for years – and no German Blu-ray has yet been released.
That’s what “Autofocus” is all about
The success of the war sitcom ‘A Beetle Full of Heroes’ brought former radio host Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear) sudden fame in the 1960s. As the main character of the popular series, he can fully enjoy the nice sides of life. The friendship with video technician John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe) seems to finally herald the decline in Crane’s life.
Carpenter seduces him into living out his sexual fantasies and recording them on video. Crane becomes increasingly deeply involved in his sex addiction. His personal and professional life begins to slip away after ‘A Beetle Full of Fools’ is canceled. His attempts to get his life back on track prove in vain. And then he gets into a fight with John Carpenter. Then, on June 29, 1978, Bob Crane was found dead in his bed. He was killed with a video tripod…
Not your typical true crime thriller
Although “Auto Focus” ultimately comes down to the still unsolved murder of Bob Crane, Paul Schrader isn’t interested in using the classic storytelling formula of true crime thrillers. Instead, he is interested in focusing on a society that has been given the opportunity to visualize its abysses thanks to then-newfangled autofocus technology.
“Auto Focus” is once again about men who must be constantly aware of their own potential. We also know this from other work by Schrader (“Taxi Driver” is probably a good example of this). For Bob and John, watching the footage of their sexual escapades (and masturbating to them) over and over becomes not only an obsession, but also a kind of virile reassurance. As usual with Schrader, the exploration of fragile masculinity sets the tone here.
Greg Kinnear, who is probably most associated with comedic work, stars as Bob Crane, who, like a small, naive boy, is completely unaware that he is destroying himself – and has essentially ended his life yet before he ended his life. skull was destroyed with a video tripod. This downfall is also formally recognized. The sun-drenched images at the beginning give way to increasingly blurred colors. Ultimately, “Auto Focus” itself seems like an ordinary home video.