Having my PhD in Neuropsychology, i is very apparent from the film that this is not a documentary but in fact a fictional story. The symptoms displayed by the character show many things that prove this is fake. It is also, suspiciously likely that the things he does are so "novel" almost as if he woke up and CHOSE to start a new life. Fake it til you Make it. This Is A Fake The Worst part is that his best friend just happens to be a filmmaker and He willingly chooses to pick up a camera immediately after he is "struck" with amnesia. Also, This man chooses to talk about his "condition" as though he is a celebrity... Good Job Fakers It is Pathetic really Nice job with this fake.

Please read the first user's review, "Strains credibility." My first question started with this: How is it that Bruce knows about police...why not at least explain his process of understanding that the police would be the most likely place to seek help? In addition to "Strains credibility's" observant review I would like to add that Rupert Murray interviews a philosopher in order to address some of the deeper questions about person-hood, but never is the issue of the development of a person's morality addressed--not to mention Bruce's. Yet Bruce himself says that he feels an obligation "morally" to visit and reacquaint himself with his "lads" back in England. Where did this sense of moral character come from? ...if Bruce has suffered such a memory loss that he cannot recall anything from the people who raised him to any of the defining moments of his life? Also what of that morality when he finds himself in one of the most divided cities of haves and have-nots in the western hemisphere? Would Bruce not take any notice of, even for a moment identify with homelessness as he was wandering the streets aimlessly trying to find himself and a home? Would he not eventually contrast the homelessness that he witnessed (with his new acutely aware sensibility) to his princely lifestyle? I suppose in today's morally bankrupt existence Murray figured no one would notice such an oversight; or rather it did not occur to Murray himself to ponder the issue of where morality comes from to begin with--not to mention Bruce's heightened sense of it.Way, way, way too many holes in this oversimplified, flagrantly over-romanticized attempt at a documentary.By the end of the film I felt that my sense of compassion (and Bruce's condition if it were real) were Murray's vehicles of exploitation in order to show off some his "cool scavenged footage" and editing skills which were completely irrelevant to the film. Murray insults the viewer's intelligence as a completely privileged subjective prankster who goes unquestioned by the subjects in the film.

According to the narrator of UNKNOWN WHITE MALE, Englishman Douglas Bruce mysteriously lost his memory one chilly autumn day and found himself walking around Coney Island in New York City in shorts and sandals. The film begins there with a brief recap of the events of his time in Coney Island and a psychiatric ward. In addition to interviews with doctors, Bruce's friends, girlfriends and family members, the viewer also sees footage Bruce shot himself in the days following his break from memory. So we see him rediscover such things as his apartment, different foods, and even a reunion with his father and two sisters, as well as various friends.This should be enlightening, exciting, fascinating or at the very least mildly interesting. But, very quickly after the first ten minutes or so of UNKNOWN WHITE MALE, it all becomes very uninteresting. This is a film about a 30-year-old man who has lost all of his memory. How possibly could this film not be engaging? Leave that to the particular talents of the director, or lack thereof, since director Rupert Murray manages to make the subject matter a fairly tedious exercise.As any dime store dramatist knows, conflict is what makes a story interesting. However, incredulously, there seems to be very little in a documentary film about a man who's lost his memory.There is no desperation to the situation. And as a work of non-fiction, this is, again, puzzling. Bruce has no financial worries, and has plenty of support at home. An ex-girlfriend flies from Poland to help him and Bruce is even "adopted" by another ex-girlfriends mother. What the film focuses on is his self-absorbed muddle through one encounter after another. There are only so many scenes of Bruce asking, in a child-like way, "what is this new food" when he samples chocolate again for the first time amongst other experiences. The most dramatic moment is Bruce meeting his father and sisters for the first time and learning that his mother has passed away some time before.His father and sisters seemed genuine enough and the moment felt sincere in its awkwardness, but, ultimately, I couldn't take much meaning away from it. The same held true when Bruce learns his mother was dead. As a dramatic moment it rang false. It just seems odd to be upset about a person he doesn't know. Seems more played for dramatic effect then anything else and that effect wasn't there.Because of this lack of drama, the occasional epiphanies about what is life and how our memories fit into the scheme of things, UNKNOWN WHITE MALE comes across as rather labored. There is only so much of Bruce's puppy dog eyes and meanderings a person can take.There is some controversy surrounding the film regarding whether or not Douglas Bruce is faking his memory loss and thus making the entire film a sham. I honestly couldn't care less and I think that is the main problem with UNKNOWN WHITE MALE I just don't care. For the record, however, I doubt that Mr. Bruce lost his memory. In addition to his history of self-indulgent adventures with his friends, he simply acts too much like someone who's lost their memory. And really, that's just it. It's as if he's giving a performance rather then merely being.In the end it doesn't really matter, since there is little to take from UNKNOWN WHITE MALE other then it's pretense and the mild interest of whether or not Bruce is faking it. I would have to go with what the French woman sitting next to me said during the film. "Zis Feelm et is so borhwring. Zis manh is ahnoying" Yes, unknown French female, he and et is.

The allure of the documentary feature of filmmaker Rupert Murray's "Unknown White Male" 2005, sure beckons the question of "Can it ever happen to me?" or to a family member, or a dear friend I know? That is the unknown just like 'what will tomorrow be' or 'will one be struck by lightening'. The unexpectedness of it all is what makes this film interesting and intriguing to watch. The narrative makes us care about what happened, happens, will happen to this "unknown white male" - Doug Bruce, so we came to know of his name and his possible history, by and by, as the film progresses. The common fear of the unknown/uncertainty takes on a real edge to one's viewpoint of life. Certainly the likelihood of 'forever lost of one's identity' and being confined to a psychiatric facility is no savory thought.Director Murray, a former friend of Doug's and now a friend afresh (just like everything in Doug's life), through this film experience, shares the reconstruction anew the chronological events of Doug's 'new' memory. Call it building or rebuilding (whichever you will) a new 'lease' of his life. Does Doug care about the past - his past? He's practically learning everything in everyday living, including the sense of walking on the sidewalks of New York City, like a child getting his awareness of the surroundings he's in. It was at once scary yet fascinating - will he be in danger of being taken advantage of? Will he lost his way again? What is his perception of things now? Of friends he once known before? So many questions. Yet when we see him meeting up with his siblings and his father once again, there's a certain calmness about him. He seemed more mature and at ease than the Doug once before. Or is he really? "Unknown White Male" is a worthwhile film to experience. It is just as dramatic as any Hollywood movies. It's insightful and full of humanity qualities. Just like life, there are things that are unpredictable, and we don't (get to) know all the answers. Things happen for a reason - the acceptance of circumstances and simply live could very well be enough. What is enough? Different strokes for different folks, to each its own.For another documentary that comes through as an engaging mystery with subject matter/person being pursued, check out filmmaker Mark Moskowitz's documentary feature "Stone Reader" 2002, available on DVD.