VIDEOGAMES don’t get much simpler than Tetris: Everyone has played it, yet the game’s real allure is that it’s almost impossible to master. The quest to unite the world’s best Tetris players would have made a phenomenal topic for a documentary, and for the first half of The Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters, that’s exactly what we’re offered. Once the film starts to hint at the inner-life of former Nintendo World Champion Thor Aackerlund, however, viewers are given a glimpse of a far more interesting tale.
I don’t want anyone to think that Ecstasy of Order is a bad film—it ranks just below 2007’s The King of Kong as one of the best videogame documentaries ever made, and despite the subject matter, it’s entirely accessible to even those who shun pixelated pastimes—but by the end, viewers will be wishing for more about Aackerlund’s life over the past two decades. I love Ecstasy of Order for what it is, but at the same time, I was frustrated by how much more it could’ve been, and what went unsaid about the unique—and apparently somewhat maudlin—life of this obviously reticent former Tetris World Champion. Here’s hoping Ecstasy of Order‘s filmmakers see this as an opportunity to craft a follow-up.
Hi Nex,
This is Robin Mihara (one of the subjects and co-producer). Thanks so much for covering the film. It means a lot to us.
I don’t doubt that others will share your frustrations with what is not shown, but I wanted to make clear that the editor did the absolute most with what footage he had. Honestly, for all of pre-production and 90% of filming, we didn’t even know if Aackerlund would show. Once he did, we had 3 days with him, and all the masters, and shot what we could.
In test screenings, we realized that he was the most compelling character and moved things around as best we could. With the contest happening in those days, and the party, we were able to get 3 solid interviews and used all of them. The stock footage as you can imagine, was very difficult to find in good quality. Newspaper articles, magazine ads, friends of his from his childhood, I felt we did pretty good considering our resources.
Keep in mind that this project was what it was: a film about finding the best Tetris player. Yes, one man stood out, but I think if you watch it again you’ll agree that the way it’s arranged actually helps the viewer’s experience of what happened. I hope you can make it to the premiere this Monday. It plays much better when seen with a crowd.
On a personal note, Aackerlund is a close friend of mine now and visits about once a year. Perhaps sometime we can have a beer and you can ask him everything that you were wondering.
– Robin
Don’t make excuses for your art.