A PLACE OF TRUTH (2013)
This documentary shadows twenty-one year old busking street poet Abi Mott's life on the road. I had to see this as it combines many of my favorite topics: slice-of-life and character study stories, busking, poetry, and life on the road. Abi is a creative soul who radiates authenticity, has a gift for connecting with people, and seems to truly exist in the moment . As a businesswoman, her pitch is, "Name a price. Pick a subject. Get a poem." After a breakup leads her to San Francisco where her nomadic journey begins, we travel with her to several destinations, including New Orleans, as she wheels around her portable workspace searching for suitable spaces to share her art. Her thoughtful, life affirming, individually requested poems are good to excellent, move her customers, and are written instantly on a vintage typewriter. In Abi's words, "I'll write you a poem. I'm not going to tell you it's the best poem you've ever read, but it will be true to... now." If these topics resonate with you, I recommend this fine film.