Let me begin by saying that I am not exactly the first one to be picking up many documentaries, but I had heard a little bit about Unknown White Male and I was intrigued so this is one of my “what the hell” moments and I decided to give it a shot. I must say, I wasn’t at all bored, which is saying something.
Unknown White Male is a look at the life of Doug Bruce. Doug is a man that one night left his apartment in the middle of the night and by afternoon the next day he turned himself into the police not knowing who or where he was. Yeah, imagine that!
This film documents Doug’s life from that moment on as one of his close friends from before the amnesia, Rupert Murray, explores life afterwards, not only from Doug’s vantage point but also from those that he knew, and how their lives were affected as well.
The first part of the film is spent recreating the moments in which Doug lost his memory. From the time he stepped out his door, to when he turned up, 11 hours later, on the New York subway heading to Coney Island and finally when he turned himself into the police where he was soon transferred to Coney Island Hospital Psychiatric ward where he was given the name “Unknown White Male”.
It is here that we begin hearing from those that tried to help him figure out who he was, including Doug himself as he seems to almost unravel before your very eyes. Imagine the frustration of waking up at the age of 37 and not remembering a damned thing about yourself. All your skills are lost, everything must be re-learned, people that you were close to are now strangers, and you yourself are a stranger. This documentary shows you these feelings if you can believe that. Simply through Doug’s reactions and those who knew him you will begin asking yourself these “What if…?” questions.
The budget on this film had to be miniscule and several segments almost feel like the tape from The Ring, with quick flashes and obscure visions, which can be, at times, bothersome. Rupert’s narration is also a bit stale, but Doug’s story is intriguing enough to make the short running time (88 minutes) bearable. As a matter of fact doesn’t this sound a lot like The Bourne Identity? Of course, minus the guns and governmental secret operations. I wonder if Robert Ludlum was inspired by a similar story several years ago.
