Watch this entire Truly CA episode: It Came from Kuchar by filmmaker Jennifer Kroot. (Running Time: 1:28:48)
By the 1960s, twins George and Mike Kuchar were shaping the underground film scene alongside Andy Warhol and Kenneth Anger. The embodiment of artistic obsession, compulsion, and inspiration, the Kuchars began making no-budget epics in their Bronx neighborhood as kids. Known as the "8mm Mozarts," the Kuchar brothers openly explored their strict Catholic upbringing and sexual anxiety with campy, irreverent theatrics. Their films have inspired many filmmakers, including John Waters, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, Buck Henry, and Wayne Wang, all interviewed in the film.
Tired of the twins' gimmick, the Kuchar's work partnership split so they could explore their own distinct styles. George was outrageously funny, childlike, and prolific, while Mike was deeply consumed with the mysteries of the universe. Nonetheless, the twins shared many motifs: sexuality and obsession, the occult and UFOs, insecurity and loneliness, weather and nature, comics, and perhaps their strongest bond, humor. Like George and Mike, It Came from Kuchar is quirky, outrageous and invigorating -- a film about two brothers who loved to make movies and how their DIY passion has inspired others.