Chapter 51 features big screen gimmick

Hollywood and a serial killer—seems like high grade fodder for a mainstream hit. But those elements only serve as a cloak for the mocumentary Chapter 51, which ultimately aims at blowing apart the self-absorbed narcissism of high-end movie people, from superstars to auteur directors. Writer director Tyler Shields takes his skewering efforts a step beyond the usual by filming in a variety of formats that won’t impact most viewers: 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, 65mm, Vista Vision, Ultra70 Panavision, and IMAX.  The director also uses different lenses and aspect ratios, again not much of an issue for typical non cinephile movie viewers. The geeks get it, as Shields presents a fictional story about three murders associated with a legendary, industry changing classic he calls Dissident. Strikingly set up shots, flaming sunsets, and burning cars create beautiful colors for this supposed masterpiece, interspersed with talking head interviews from participants relaying their theories in a style suitable to typical true-crime documentaries found on various streaming services. The concept has its moments and might work a whole lot better if cast members lived up to their descriptions as quote “the best” or “the greatest ever.”   Some actors do better than others, all of them outshined for the most part by Colman Domingo who always stands out with naturalistic work, whether with an Emmy winning turn in Euphoria or earning Best Actor Oscar nominations in Rustin and Sing Sing. While Domingo and a few other elements in Chapter 51 offer intriguing moments, the project as a whole feels somewhat like a thought experiment turned into a real movie, one relying more on a gimmick than the genius project that suffuses its screenplay.