★★★
Directed by: Colleen Brady
Starring: Regina Armenta
One person can make a big difference. Colleen Brady's short documentary Geronimo: Circus Trash Monster focuses on how Regina Armenta, a performance artist, came up with an idea that would help her community. This touching and inspiring project won Best Documentary Short and Best Message at the 2019 Top Indie Film Awards.
Armenta lives in Kensington, Philadelphia and is skilled at a wide variety of performing arts, such as stilt walking, juggling and hooping. She noticed how bad the rubbish in her neighbourhood was and decided to take action by cleaning it up, while using stilts. This attracted people's attention and led to the creation of the Circus Trash Monster, which is a program that encourages individuals to pick up rubbish in the area in order to pay for performing art lessons with Armenta.
The film is a pleasure to watch. Armenta comes across as very friendly and tells her story with great enthusiasm. The informatively explains her love for acrobatics and how Circus Trash Monster came to be. The audience becomes familiar with an individual who has worked hard in order to make a significant contribution to the world.
What is seen in this piece of work successfully shows Armenta's achievements. The documentary includes many shots of her engaging in her impressive art skills and teaching them to her students. There are also shots of her and other people cleaning rubbish of the pavements. She is also seen talking at an interview and her voice-over effectively accompanies the images. And the addition of Amir Muhammad's beautiful score brings great qualities.
Brady has created a truly uplifting documentary that may be short but carries a strong message: it shows the strength of the human spirit. That with passion and hard work one can achieve anything.
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