I don’t know anything about bodybuilding, or I didn’t until I watched Raising the Bar 2, a brand-new documentary by Mike Pulcinella (Mike wrote it, shot and edited it). Mike often submits comments to this site, and we have corresponded by e-mail a number of times. A couple weeks ago, Mike asked me whether I’d be interested in watching his new documentary, and I jumped at the chance. Based upon Mike’s many comments to this site, I know him to be a thoughtful guy. I knew that he must’ve found something worthy of his time in this freakish-seeming endeavor of “bodybuilding.”
In this documentary, Mike follows his brother Dave Pulcinella (and Dave’s significant other, Jenn Emig) as Dave trains for and competes in high-level bodybuilding competitions. Before you jump to the conclusion that this is just some guy following his brother around with the camera, take a look at the trailer for “Raising the Bar 2,” available at Mike’s site. As you will see, Mike is a skilled filmmaker and storyteller and he is careful to make sure that this story retains real-life texture. Mike’s edits are crisp and the soundtrack works well. As for the storytelling, this kind of video could only have been accomplished by a filmmaker who had gained the complete trust of the participants. In sum, this documentary is not always a glowing endorsement of Dave.
The documentary was compelling on several levels. First of all, viewers will have an opportunity to see what is …