Documentarian responds to messy minions
Josh Freed, the man behind My Messy Life, wrote a piece for the Montreal Gazette in which he highlights some of the reactions he received about his film. (I wrote about this documentary a couple weeks ago here.) From the article:
In the program, I revealed my extraordinarily messy office, then visited some stupendous messes with similar “order disorders.” I also teased neat freaks for their obsession with closet organizers, desk organizers and other weapons of mess destruction.
Since then I’ve been inundated by almost 100 letters, mostly from Gazette readers eager to talk about (or rationalize) their own disorderly conduct. I’ve become the man to whom you turn to confess your mess – and the leader of a budding mess liberation movement.
Freed defends his messy file system, or lack there of, while doing so in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Calling himself the “Messiah of Mess” he highlights the his new followers’ reaction to his documentary. While Freed will receive no love from us at Unclutterer, he did admit to tidying up his office after the documentary was finished filming.
The other day I went in and did seven hours of spring cleaning and repiling so I finally know where everything is again. I threw out seven large bags of stuff – and felt great. But trust me: If you walked in, you’d never know the difference.
That’s a good first step, sir. Maybe there is hope for Freed just yet.
Documentary defends the clutter lifestyle
Journalist, author, and filmmaker, Josh Freed, directed and starred in My Messy Life. The film documents his messy lifestyle and defends his “cult of clutter.” From the CTV article:
“My Messy Life,” an original documentary directed by and starring Freed himself, takes a light-hearted look at clutter in a symbolic act of defiance against what Freed calls the “tyranny of the tidy.”
In the film, Freed turns the cameras on his home office, which he aptly calls his “messterpiece.”
Aside from his chair, not a single surface is visible in Freed’s office. Notes plaster walls, bins cover the floor and stacks of paper, files and books consume the desk.
Freed’s way of life is the antithesis of what we strive for here at Unclutterer, but this film looks interesting and entertaining. Freed seems to have a good sense of humor about his organizational skills, or lack there of, so the film seems to be a bit tongue-in-cheek.
Freed did need to have some outside organizing help while making the documentary.
During the making of “My Messy Life” Freed’s producers kept the details in check so he could focus on creating.
You can watch a news clip about the documentary here, but unfortunately we can’t seem to find the whole of the documentary online. Have any of our Canadian readers had the pleasure of viewing this documentary? It originally aired on CTV on May 17.
Possessed by possessions
We’ve had several requests to give the documentary Possessed some notice. It is a fascinating look into four different individuals and their struggles with hoarding. If you have 20 minutes to spare, take the time to watch this short documentary. Hoarding is a terrible psychological affliction that can render someone trapped in a extremely cluttered home. Martin Hampton does a great job in documenting the extremes of these four individuals.
To see these people talking about their problem puts a personal perspective on this condition. The subjects of this documentary obviously know they have a problem, but find themselves powerless to overcome their addiction to accumulation.
For more on hoarding, here is an article that was recently featured on MSNBC.
