Documentary films provide at times very intimate insights into the lives of people and the experiences that have shaped them. I recently had the absolute pleasure of meeting and interviewing Adrian & Linda Bennett during the filming of a documentary capturing their incredible life story which travels from living in crowded suburbia in the UK, to Silverton in remote outback Australia. The motivating force behind their move, the central narrative for much of their lives and the reason why they have established an incredible museum in Silverton, is the well- known movie Mad Max 2.
Theirs is a story of passion and obsession, but more than that, it is about following your dream. It is about love and it is inspirational.
Adrian is a master story teller and when he speaks you find yourself nodding, leaning forward in your chair to get closer to the telling. I move from tears of laughter to those of heartfelt connection, as he weaves the story of their journey, through both the good and bad. And whilst Linda protests and insists that she’s not one for telling her story, she is equally captivating in her brutally honest, straight speaking manner. Adrian and Linda are both straight talkers who pulse with genuine warmth and humility.
If you know the movie you will know that this story has a lot of conversation about cars. Adrian is incredibly passionate about cars and in particularly the interceptor from Mad Max. I should point out here, I’m not really that much into cars! When Adrian talks about cars however, it is about so much more than just a car. It is about a young kid who was sitting in a movie theatre and was absolutely transformed through the awesome power of film. A life changing moment, that just happens to rotate very much around cars and motorbikes! But it is the story around the machines that captivates me. The car details fly past me but I am absolutely hanging, on every word of his story.
Hours pass and we realise that we are starving, it’s dark and getting desert-night cold. I’m sore from trying to sit close and inline of site for Adrian, but out of camera angle for filming.
I have just had a life changing moment myself. I’m not a kid in a movie theatre but I am most certainly feeling full to the brim, with potential possibilities that must undeniably be there, if I’m willing to work hard and make sacrifices. Adrian does that. He is just so genuinely driven in his dreams to re-create and share with others the story of a movie that changed his life. A good story can do that, make you believe, empower you to achieve. Powerful stuff.
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The documentary mentioned in this post is being produced by RunRoar Productions, to find out more email Nick Crowhurst