Somewhere In The Middle is a documentary about the lives of five working artists, who aren’t household names, but who are making a legitimate living through their art.
The sheer scope and scale of commercial entertainment, the way it reaches every corner of the world, filled with such dynamic embracing figures that seem wrapped eternally in the glitter of fame and fortune, make it of course an alluring dream for many to follow. Obviously though, only a very few ever attain such heights, most working hard amid their passions in the ethereal layer beneath, making a living doing what they love, never being ‘superstars’ per se but happy nonetheless, inspired by the power of creativity and wherever it takes them.
This is what director Nathan Ives‘ latest effort is all about, turning his camera on five people with diverse talents, who are all in this state of personal success yet not households names, despite all of them having some significant high points playing about in the superstar atmosphere. We meet Griffin House, a singer songwriter, Aaron Tap, a musician, Jeff Nishinaka, a paper sculptor, Jasika Nicole, an actor, and Dan McCaw, a painter. Each share their stories in a typical interview style format, touring us through their rise from the moments when they knew they had something special in them that they wanted to explore to where they are now, living with these talents driving them to further possibilities.
Ives wisely keeps himself clear of the experience, never on screen, never speaking, all prompts and questions unseen and unheard, allowing his subjects to speak on their own, uninterrupted in their descriptions of tackling the hurdles of pursuing what defines them. It’s not a large scale production, a mere 70-ish minutes, keeping it focused on the rungs each of these people climb upon, talking about influences, money, relationships, brushes with fame, and more.
READ MORE: We talk with director Nathan Ives about Somewhere In The Middle
This is done by cutting back and forth between them, each given equal time as they sort of answer the same questions in turn adding their personality and experience, giving them a genuine sense of humanity. This makes them identifiable, helping to bring down a bit of the walls that are naturally there when looking in on people who have achieved enough stature to have a film made about them. You learn that roads to here are not always paved in gold, the very point of the film, of course, but it’s done earnestly and believably, making it easy for us to sit in and get invested. You get the sense that naturally, they are just five of an almost uncountable group who are just like them, their stories perhaps not given a name but equally represented.
Somewhere In The Middle is a modest little film, more like a video journal stitching together the stories of five passionate and humble people living in a world where ‘celebrity’ is constantly being redefined. You might not learn anything you didn’t already suspect about artists, nor walk away feeling any more inspired (especially when it comes to some clichéd moments of go-chase-your-own-dreams conventions), but that’s not really the proper takeaway. Rather, this is an intimate portrayal of hardworking men and women who have given all they have to the craft of living a fulfilling life. This is the best definition of success.
Somewhere In The Middle released October 15th.