The Famous Joe Project

2012 • 97 minutes

About this movie

Joe, in the midst of dropping out of college and coming out as gay, decides to record the everyday activities of his life on a handheld mini-video and post the clips to the internet. Soon after he begins this experiment, Joe meets Jesus, a narcissistic hustler drawn to the idea of constantly being on camera.

Together, they travel to Los Angeles where they begin making a film, something halfway between fiction and documentary. Their relationship plays out in front of the camera as their lives become more and more enmeshed with each other and the film they are making. Joe's experiment takes him far from where he intended, forcing him confront questions of identity, family, addiction, and the true nature of love.

Told in the style of a documentary, with cameras operated by the performers and intercut with interviews of the characters, this intensely intimate coming-of-age story reveals a journey of self-discovery. By turns funny, sexy, heartbreaking, and inspiring, Famous Joe tests the limits of what the camera can capture and the soul can express.