Review of Tabloid (2011) by Marnie Z — 11 Oct 2013

"Tabloid" - Errol Morris (USA, 2010).

Following on from his Oscar winning The Fog of War, Errol Morris brings us the tale of Joyce Bernann McKinney and the "Mormon in Chains" scandal. In 1977 a young Mormon named Kirk Anderson went missing having been abducted on the steps of a meetinghouse for the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints. A few days later Anderson reported to British police that he had been kidnapped and driven to Devon where McKinney had chained him to a bed and after failing in her attempts to seduce him, had raped him. Morris's documentary charts the case and the huge reaction the story got within the British tabloids.

Morris has a filmography of documentaries that stand out from the pack for two clear reasons. The first is down to Morris's background as a private investigator; his detailed research is compressed and placed on the screen in such a methodical but tightly knitted manner. The amount of information in his documentaries is overwhelming without ever leaving the viewer feeling overwhelmed. The second is Morris's side career of filming commercials for multinationals. His documentaries are infused with a little bit extra that help tell the story; where The Thin Blue Line had re-enactments, here we are treated to pythonesque animations helping the viewer through the story.

Tabloid, like Morris's other work is notable for its lack of narrative voice. Instead the interviewees drive the narration and are allowed to tell their own story, there is the occasional off camera remark from Morris but this is used sparingly and only to tease out an extra piece of information. It also refuses to draw conclusions, Morris is not attempting to say whether or not McKinney was guilty or (as she claimed) Anderson went along willingly and only invented the kidnap story after pressure from senior mormons. This is a rare but admirable quality in a documentary maker. After all these days everyone is aware of how things can be edited and taken out of context, as such all films are open to the accusation that scenes or interviews have been cut so as to fit the narrative line. If it is clear that Morris has no desire other than to report the facts as they are, then we are more open to accepting what is in front of us at face value.

Although it is currently the subject of lawsuit, Tabloid ranks up there with Morris's greatest work (which is no small achievement). Engaging, compelling and put together with the correct amount of "tongue-in-cheek" to keep it light hearted the film is simply a great watch. It is disappointing that Morris was unable to convince anyone directly involved from the Mormon side of things to be interviewed but given our knowledge of Morris we can relax knowing that they were offered their chance.