The film 'A Film by Roland Wehap' by Roland Wehap is an ingenious, self-referential and irresistibly idiosyncratic celebration of the one-man-show movie-maker, the type of filmmaker who does not wait to get financed, approved, or licensed before putting a story into action. What comes out is not just a movie but a meta-portrait of artistic obsession that is sewn with equal doses of satire, sincerity and scraps of ingenuity.

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Instead of concealing the reality of a slick production, Wehap embraces the limitations of almost zero-budget filmmaking and uses them as the primary creative engine of the film. The outcome is a piece of work that glorifies the rough, at times riotous beauty of making it by yourself: writing, shooting, editing, promoting, doubting, despairing, reinventing and, in the end, persevering. Even the name of the film itself is also a joke, a part of the charm and a part of the thematic truth which the director is attempting to unravel.

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The story is a mixture of fiction and autobiography and a sharp, witty satire of an unforgiving filmmaker whose incessant quest to gain recognition is on the verge of the absurd. But beneath the humour is a fine tribute to the soul of independent filmmaking. The theme of the one-man show is not discussed as a limitation but as a kind of artistic purity. The movie encourages one to make films despite all the challenges not because it is sure to be successful, but because the very process of making a film is worthwhile.

It is endearing to see a filmmaker tear apart his own path in such a candid way: the mistakes, the pride, the ego, the vulnerability, the sheer unwillingness to surrender.

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In terms of style, Wehap has adopted a gritty-around-the-edges approach that is consciously and sincerely deliberate. The movie has a fast flow, which is enhanced by the comic timing and by the fact that Wehap is ready to depict himself as a hero and a punch-line. His monotonic delivery and self-referential humour make the movie have a unique voice, which balances on the sides of sincerity and irony without losing its unity.

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It is the personal nature that makes 'A Film by Roland Wehap' so beautiful. It is not merely a parody of a would-be director; it is a homage to all those independent filmmakers who make films out of nothing more than their heart. The film ends on a very basic yet poignant fact: a filmmaker is a filmmaker, regardless of what it costs them, be it money, heart or life. Roland Wehap demonstrates that the one-man show is not only possible but also able to create something really authentic, funny, and even rather touching with this playful and still heartfelt work.

Review written by Vlad A.G