Ramin Bahrani on His Documentary 2nd Chance and What He Learned from Werner Herzog | Sundance 2022
12We spoke with director 99 Homes director Ramin Bahrani ahead of the Sundance premiere of his new movie 2nd Chance, a documentary that was pitched as a fiction film before becoming something much more powerful.
2nd Chance details the rise and fall of Richard Davis, the former U.S. Marine and pizza shop owner who created bullet-proof vests used by law enforcement officers across the United States. To ensure that his product worked, Davis shot himself point-blank over 190 times. His ill-fated company, Second Chance, manufactured these vests for years, bringing jobs and financial prosperity to a small community that wasn't known for either. Following a years-long string of poor decisions and an undisclosed flaw in the vests, Davis fell from grace. He had saved lives, yes. But he also bears responsibility for a number of avoidable deaths.
There are many conflicting accounts and festering suspicions among Bahrani's interview subjects, but one thing remains clear: Richard Davis is a confounding man. His vests saved countless lives, but his underhanded business practices and rampant dishonesty tarnish his image. Therein lies both the contradiction and the central question: How can a man who did so much good fall so hard? During our interview, Bahrani made it clear that his goal wasn't to deliver definitive answers, but instead to allow audiences to arrive to their own conclusions.
Early in the film, Bahrani draws light comparisons between Davis' story and the ever-spiraling status quo, calling both “frightening” and “absurd.” It's here that his angle could have sharpened into a skewer, but Bahrani isn't interested in turning us against Davis. In fact, with a directorial approach designed to illuminate dimension and a narrative shaped around Richard as a whole person rather than an irredeemable monster, he's wanting something deeper, kinder, and more productive. Bahrani mentioned that Davis "was not at all what we expected," and that while he did not agree with his philosophies, he likes Davis.
Check out what Bahrani had to say in the video above. To get an idea of what to expect, here's a rundown of what we talked about:
What drew him to the project
The "rags to riches" elements of Richard Davis' story
The broader themes and ideas at play, includes mythologies we choose to believe and lies we tell ourselves to be comfortable with our decisions.
The resonance of "Print the legend" and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
What Werner Herzog taught him about making documentaries
How the editing process shaped the film
How the film was originally pitched as a fiction film
How an incredibly touching meeting between two men who had shot each other decades before became an important part of the story
How his process of researching differed between older projects such as Man Push Cart and Chop Shop and newer efforts like 2nd Chance
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