(USA, 73 min.)
Dir. Matthew Pond, Kirk Marcolina
Programme: World
Showcase (World Premiere)
"I don't take life too seriously. I'm not going to get out of it alive anyway."
-Doris Payne
Are documentary subjects eligible for acting awards? I hope so, for Doris Payne gives a tour-de-force performance in The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne that is worthy of the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her story is soon to be a dramatic film, however, so pundits best keep an eye on Halle Berry when she inhabits this suave octogenarian jewel thief on the big screen. Berry has her work cut out for her, though, since I doubt anyone can play Doris Payne as well as Doris Payne plays herself.
I use the words 'play' and 'performance' intentionally
because even though The Life and Crimes
of Doris Payne is a documentary, Payne is clearly playing to the camera
with a skill for creating and inhabiting characters that she has been
perfecting for years. Doris shares her art of jewel thievery with directors Matthew
Pond and Kirk Marcolina in this terrifically entertaining story of her life as
a career criminal. When the film begins, Doris is on trial for a theft she
swears she didn't commit—why on earth would she still a lousy $8000 ring from
Macy's when she has smuggled diamonds worth over 100 times that value? Doris
insists her innocence, which seems convincing even though the sales clerk
swears that an eighty-year-old black woman walked out of the store with the
ring in question.
Her judge likens her to The Terminator, but this petite, eloquent, and attractive lady looks like she's about to serve a plate of cookies and tell you a story. It's easy to believe Doris as she maintains her
innocence while explaining her past crimes to the filmmakers. No woman with
such a checkered past would dare face a jury, right? Confidence and cunning,
however, have always been the key characteristics that have set Doris apart
from petty criminals. She is a woman who steals with purpose and style. Doris
is a smooth operator. She is composed, articulate, and personable. How can this
sweet old lady have a 2000 page FBI profile that lists 32 aliases, 10 dates of
birth, 11 social security numbers, and 9 passports?
Doris’s story begins with her days as a poor black girl growing
up in segregated West Virginia. Doris recalls her family life as troubled,
since her father abused her mother and the politics of the time didn’t make the
view outside the Payne’s house any prettier. If not for the racial politics of
America, Doris might have found a calling other than being a jewel thief. She
could have been a model or an actress, but both occupations are certainly roles
she played in the job that made her famous.
It’s easy to sympathize with Doris as she explains the logic
behind her first theft. She was still a teenager when she walked into a local
store to buy herself a reward for a recent accomplishment. The friendly clerk
was happy to oblige and he showed Doris a fine display of pretty jewelry;
however, Doris notes that the clerk scuttled away immediately when a white
customer walked into the store. Doris was left wearing a gold watch because the
clerk didn’t want to be seen helping a black girl. Incensed and embarrassed,
Doris walked to door and gave the clerk a “Says you!” She returned the watch,
but she learned how easily she could make off with such goods with the right
moves and the right attitude.
As Doris elaborates on her cunning ways that allowed her to
steal precious jewels from all over the world, her testimony reveals a complex
moral logic behind her crimes. Her rationalization that the bitter racism of the
times worked to her advantage offers a unique insight into the mind of the
criminal. If Doris wasn’t given a fair chance at life as an African American
woman, was she really out of line for working outside the rules to better
herself? One could easily say yes, but Doris’s explanation of how she succeeded
in conning so many folks emphasizes how frequently race seemed to be a factor.
A large part of Doris’s role was presenting herself so that store clerks and
security guards saw only a beautiful woman who was well-dressed, well-spoken,
and well-mannered. It was hard to steal if a clerk was hesitant to demonstrate
jewels to a poor-looking black girl.
The Life and Crimes of
Doris Payne crosscuts between Doris’s account of her checkered past and the
proceedings leading up to her present-day trial. As Doris and her lawyer
establish a decent case for her defense, though, it seems that Doris’s
notorious past is bound to convict her in a courtroom. Can the guilt of someone’s
past outweigh the innocence she maintains in the present? Doris is utterly
unrepentant for taking the property of others. Her only regret is that she was
caught. “But I was never caught in the act!” Doris is quick to proclaim.
But one can see why Doris opted for a jury trial. She is a
masterful storyteller and a convincing, charismatic person. She’s easily the
most fascinating subject of any film I’ve seen at Hot Docs this year. Doris displays the range of mannerisms and nuanced delivery with which a great actress brings a fictional character to life. As Doris demonstrates
the gestures, comportment, and elements of manipulation she would use to pull
off a heist, her body language and magnetic personality pull you into her
game. (Her account of the Monte Carlo caper is especially engaging.)
The Life and Crimes of
Doris Payne builds a fascinating character study by complementing Doris’s
testimony with interviews with her children, her closest friend (a hoot!),
biographers, and investigators on the present-day case. Pond and Marcolina also
recreate episodes of Doris’s caper days using stylish re-enactments. All the
different elements of the puzzle only add to the enigma of Doris’s character. The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne does
a commendable feat of situating the audience within the psychology of a career
criminal. Pond and Marcolina’s interwoven character study lets Doris present a
compelling defense for her present predicament. Her insistence on her innocence
also allows the audience to experience Doris’s deception first hand: by the end
of the film, one realizes that Doris is pulling a con. However, even though
Doris has built a life on duplicity, I found myself rooting for her all the
way. She's the sweetest career criminal you will ever meet.
Rating: ★★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Rating: ★★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
The Life and Times of
Doris Payne screens:
Wednesday, May 1 – 1:30 pm at Cineplex Scotiabank
Please visit the Doris Payne Facebook page for more info on the
documentary.
Please
visit www.hotdocs.ca for more information
on films, tickets, and showtimes.
Update: Doris opens in Toronto at the Bloor on June 20th.
