The Sweetest Sound (2001)

Director:

Alan Berliner

Writer:

Alan Berliner (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot Keywords:

Family | Genealogy

Cast

Alan Berliner	...	Himself
Alain Berliner	...	Himself
Allen Berliner	...	Himself
Alan S. Berliner	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oscar Berliner	...	Himself

Runtime:

Germany:60 min (Berlin Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Company:

Cine-Matrix

Alan Berliner, the director, invites the twelve other Alan Berliners from around the world over for dinner.

I am so glad that I am not the only person in the world who has given so much thought to my own name. Alan Berliner proves to be even more obsessive than I am. After a number of "Egosurfs," (which is the word given to the act of looking up your own name on the internet,) Alan Berliner found twelve other owners of his name and flew them out to New York for dinner.

Imagine having a party with a dozen of your namesakes! Introductions are easy, and you never forget anyone's name. However, it can make you really start to question your identity. In a room full of people named Alan Berliner, who's who? All of them turn out to be white, middle-class, and middle-aged men.

The bulk of the film is put together with stock footage, man-on-the-street interviews (What does the name Alan bring to mind? One woman's response: Fat!) and old home movies. At the end of the film, Mr. Berliner encourages the viewers to write to him and tell them if they've recognized any of the faces in the stock footage as their own relatives.

This is a pleasant and fun documentary that really makes you think. It is never boring for a minute, and is just as delightful as Sherman's March.