The Philadelphia Film Society will host a screening and DVD release party for "Resurrect Dead" tonight at the Trocadero. The film debuted at last year's Sundance Film Festival. First-time director Jon Foy, who was working as a housecleaner while shooting and editing the film, won the best-directing award for a U.S. documentary at the venerable festival.
On the surface, "Resurrect Dead" is a simple search for a mysterious, apparent recluse. But the documentary smartly finds its main character in Justin Duerr, who has been searching for the Toynbee tiler since 1994 and is an admitted obsessive. With his sharp, birdlike features, copious tattoos and affable personality, he makes for a compelling central figure.
Duerr met fellow Toynbee fanatics Colin Smith and Steve Weinikas, who are also in the film, via the Internet and the trio set off to reveal the mystery behind the tiler - a journey that took them to the wilds of South Philly, through the work of world historian Arnold J. Toynbee and playwright David Mamet, and beyond.
While the mystery of the Toynbee tiles is enough to drive the narrative, the documentary is augmented by Foy's cinematic vision. Late-night Philadelphia becomes a noirish dreamscape. For some scenes, such as how they believe the Toynbee tiler places his work, Foy turned to animation.
"The real-life case was so bizarre, so we could make a movie that felt unreal," Foy said. "I wanted to use cinematic devices to create a sense of whimsy and magic. There was something really neat about finding this little unexplored corner of the world where you couldn't just go to Wikipedia and get answers. We had to actually hit the streets, and look at the microfiche."
Foy was only an aspiring filmmaker when he met Duerr in 2000. Foy found Duerr's obsession so fascinating, he decided to make a movie about it, though it would be five years before the camera started rolling.
