"Cavedigger" is a 39-minute documentary that was released back in 2013, but already filmed (at least some of it) back in 2010. It was directed by Jeffrey Karoff, his first work, and scoring an Oscar nomination with it is quite a success. The artist we see from start to finish is Ra Paulette and I myself found this almost more interesting as a character study of a man with such a hobby really isolated from people than as a piece of art. Yes the caves he did look fantastic, but I do not approve in terms of this being another way in which nature is destroyed and also no matter how good Paulette is, he will never reach the awesomeness of caves shaped by nature. You may want to take a look at Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" for these. All in all, I cannot say I particularly enjoyed watching this documentary and I am sure most of the other Oscar nominees that year deserved the trophy more than this one here. And somehow I feel Paulette couldn't care any less if he won or not. Not a great documentary. Thumbs down.

A remarkable film worth watching. I was held by, both, the beauty of Ra Paulette's creation and the complex honesty captured by the film-maker. I heartily recommend this quirky documentary to others. At a pragmatic level, I love the way the movie held me, simultaneously, in solidarity with the main character's struggle against other people's efforts to control his clearly visionary endeavor, and yet frustrated with his own seeming inability to "play-well" with others in the sandbox of his creations. The movie seem's especially potent as a metaphorical tale regarding the universal human dilemma to rise out of our existential day-to-day, down-in-the-dirt struggle to merely survive, in order to leave behind some extraordinary witness of our presence in the world.

After Jeffrey came back from his first shooting with the "CaveDigger", I knew he was on to something. The character of Ra and his artistic obsessions, the unique perspectives of the work and of Ra from the people with whom he interacts, and the true grit of the environment in which he works are all captured exquisitely and completely in a way that only a director who is a true artist himself, could. Jeffrey Karoff puts people at ease as he rolls the camera as if it was always part of the natural milieu, thus capturing the subjects basic humanness. He guides them on a path to the unknown that eventually unfolds into a story that was always there but until then, hidden. That is Jeffrey's gift. Bravo. Encore.

Not only do we see the sinuous grace of these carved sandstone interiors and get the feel for how challenging they are to excavate, but we are let into the life of an eccentric and staunchly independent artist who nevertheless is a gentle and appealing soul. A man in his 60s carries a wheelbarrow and shovel deep into mountainous wilderness on his back; he works alone, underground, never knowing when a collapse might end his life; he worries about the safety of those who might try to recover his body. We meet some of his patrons and see their reaction to the unmovable force that he is when his artistic vision is challenged, but though some find him too formidable, others--friends and loved ones--sacrifice to help him along his path. The clarity of his understanding of his values, his humility when he doubts, the love he engenders, and the respect so many have for his vision make this movie extremely touching and thought provoking. The crisp cinematography ravishes with the beauty of the New Mexico sky and landscape, and the magical caves hidden inside it.