Slamdance 2023: The Mad Writer

Asheville-based hip-hop artist L’Orange, aka Austin Hart, proves a fascinating subject in Zachary Kashkett’s bio-doc, The Mad Writer, and not merely for his musical acumen and health struggles.

Throughout the feature’s brief yet engaging runtime, the gifted producer/DJ behaves refreshingly brusk and borderline uncooperative, questioning the filmmaking process whenever possible.

Resembling a deposed king pulled out of hiding to meet the press upon a makeshift throne, Hart keeps his bullshit detector on high alert as his longtime friend Kashkett, an experienced editor making his directorial debut, trots out leading questions regarding the musician’s hearing woes as well as other probing, personal questions, including his lifelong battles with depression.

Hart acknowledges that such prompts are necessary to tell his remarkable story, yet they nevertheless make him bristle with their blatant transparency. Though the interactions can come off as tense and combative, the pair’s familiarity remains evident and feels essential in prompting Hart to more freely interject his queries and skepticism, calling out the inherent ridiculousness of documentary practices that are almost always unseen, leading to products that are often taken as unadulterated truth when they’re essentially as manufactured as any narrative film.

These exchanges elevate a crisply shot and edited, but otherwise fairly straightforward documentary full of such standard elements as talking head interviews with Hart and collaborators like Mr. Lif, archival photos, and footage of the subject at work and practicing his art. But with Hart’s lovable saltiness setting the tone, these standard components unfold with an enhanced flavor that sets The Mad Writer apart from your average music doc.

Grade: B-plus. Not rated, but with adult themes and language. Available to rent via slamdancechannel.com through Jan. 29.

(Photos: Trevor Metscher)