By Amy Paige Condon
During every Presidential Election, “small-town values” get bandied about by candidates as something to cherish, but they rarely define what these values are, exactly.
In some ways, “45365,” a 93-minute documentary directed by SCAD alumni Bill and Turner Ross, puts a face to those values by focusing on the people of Sidney, Ohio, a town of 20,000 on the west bank of the Great Miami River. It’s the kind of town you drive through on your way to some place else.
The brothers Ross turn their cameras on their childhood home and follow police officers, the Yellow Jackets high school football team, a judicial election, the patrons of the Downtown Barber Shop (where the predominant style is the buzz cut), a local radio station, the Shelby County Fairgoers and others to offer a glimpse into their everyday lives. We eavesdrop on build-ups, breakdowns and break-ups.
The film is divided into five parts, marked by passing CSX trains, brief musical interjections, and the individual numbers that make up Sidney’s zip code and the film’s title. The non-linear structure and lack of an overarching narrative give “45365” a contemporary quality, which contributed to its being awarded the Grand Jury Prize at Austin’s South by Southwest Film Festival in March of this year.
This format is both engaging and exhausting.
“It’s a wonderful, interesting way to show a small town, but it’s too long. I lost the story lines,” Susan Baukhages, from Bluffton, South Carolina said.
This detachment, too, requires the viewer to determine his or her own takeaway messages, which may be the point.
The ravages of substance abuse on entire families, which small towns are much less equipped to battle than urban areas is referenced by an enabling mother and an adult son. When a police offer says while on patrol, “When you’re dealing with adults, within five or ten years, I’m dealing with the kids for the same thing,” one wonders if the football players in the next frame—all big fish in this small pond—sense the desperation.
The radio station plays classic rock and other oldies, making one question whether or not nostalgia can hold entire towns back and keep them from moving forward.
The movie misses delving more deeply into some key aspects of small-town life in America today. These are the places hardest hit during economic downturns and passed by during periods of growth. Instead of homing in on vacant storefronts on Main Street, the directors choose to show an almost Bedford Falls version of the historic downtown. Perhaps they are too close to the subject matter to be objective.
A bulletin board pinned with newspaper headlines reminds us that small towns also pay a greater and disproportionate share in the war dead than the rest of the nation.
These are small quibbles, though.
This entry marks the first time a film by SCAD alumni has been picked up for theatrical distribution, according to the Film Festival Call Sheet. “45365” plays again Thursday, November 5, 11:30 a.m., at the Lucas Theatre. The Ross brothers will be present to discuss the surprise success of their film and other upcoming projects.
Editor’s Note: This article has been revised Nov. 5 to correct the following changes: The quote from Susan Baukhages was incorrectly attributed. The story has been revised to reflect these changes.
