This three part documentary follows King George, aka George Coulam, aka the founder of the largest renaissance festival in the United States, as he searches for someone to take over his festival so he can retire. Now you might be thinking to yourself: “Is watching someone trying to sell their business really worth three hours of my time?” And normally, the answer would be no. But “Ren Faire” is not normal. King George is not normal. He’s picky, manipulative, and a huge pain in the ass to everyone in his life. Honestly, the most normal part about King George is his love of big naturals. Working for King George are several would-be successors that all want different things from George. Some want to preserve his legacy and keep the status quo, others are in it for the vast amount of riches the festival rakes in each year. All of them have to play George’s games if they don’t want to be cast out of the court of the King. Quick side note: whoever at HBO Max determined that this should premiere one week before the debut of the second season of “House of the Dragon” is a genius. All the political intrigue and backstabbing you’d come to expect from a “Game of Thrones” spin off is also present here. Thank God theres no incest though. Similar to the director’s two previous documentaries, there is an aura of disbelief that what you’re watching is real life. How can someone be over 80 years old and still care that much about the most minute details? How can someone named “The Lord of Corn” think they’re better suited to run the festival than someone who’s been there for 47 years? The answers escape me. That bizarre unease is only heightened by Oppenheim’s visual skills that are usually missing from the standard, interview heavy or “talking heads” style documentaries. You never feel too far from the festival or outside of the character’s lives. All the grotesque closeups and depth of field tricks never let you get your bearing unless it's to show off the slime and insanity going on. If you’re a fan of Nathan Fielder’s show “The Rehearsal” or “How To with John Wilson” then I think you’ll enjoy this.
“Ren Faire” is available to stream on HBO Max.
P.S. If you enjoyed “Ren Faire”, I would highly recommend also checking out Lance Oppenheim’s previous documentary, “Spermworld”, on Hulu.