Title: Public Access
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Director: David Shadrack Smith
Starring: Debbie Harry, Jake Fogelnest, Earl Chin
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

What It Is: Public access television was the wild west of programming in the latter part of the 20th century. It was a new frontier that, by design, enabled those with a voice or a taste for just about anything to create and consume television. This documentary focuses on New York’s somewhat underground public access scene and its archives. From the dawn of LGBTQ+ representation to overtly sexual, and some would say pornographic, programming, there truly was something for everyone. That mentality, however, led to several legal fights surrounding the First Amendment and standards of decency.

What We Think: What a jumbled mess. In its attempt to capture the full scope of the New York experience, the film tries to spin every possible plate. It attempts to tell the micro stories of each subsection of people, but it ends up spending too much time on certain central conceits while neglecting cohesion. If you are going to make something like this, look at When We Were Live for inspiration. It is a far more well constructed piece that works as a companion to this and, for my money, is far more focused.

Our Grade: D+, This had potential, but sadly most of it is squandered by inconsistent tone and timing. Its overall lack of focus hurts a film that, in certain moments, sparks real joy and discussion, and in others confuses the audience enough to make them ask, “How did we get here?” For example, we jump from an interesting history of LGBTQ+ representation on New York City public access to Jake Fogelnest running a show out of his parents’ apartment. There is no clear navigation between these threads. It is just chaos. If you are looking for a well put together documentary, this is not for you. Luckily, the subject matter is interesting enough to hold attention, even if the editing seems determined to undermine it.