The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle holds that even the perfect experiment will produce results with a degree of uncertainty. This can be explained because the very process of experimenting inherently disturbs the system under consideration; as a result of this, Heisenberg concludes that one will never achieve the complete "truth" regarding the system in question.

When applied to the film world, this principle poses a significant problem for the majority of documentarians, most of whom are usually content to ignore the role they play in shaping their subjects’ lives. It is understandably a safety measure. By eliminating the presence of the documentarian / experimenter, the uncertainty or bias that accompanies that position is destroyed as well, allowing a filmmaker to maintain the illusion that his documentary is a completely objective history of events.

It is to director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) credit that he recognizes this dilemma and de-mythologizes the documentary genre by focusing not just on the subject of the film, Stevie Fielding, but also on the effect the documentarian, James, has on Fielding. It is a courageous move by James because by including himself as an influence on Fielding’s life, he implicitly and explicitly holds himself partly responsible for the choices Fielding makes. And Fielding does not make good choices. He is not the prototypical lovable loser; he is an alleged child molester who is a potential threat to the lives and happiness of those who surround him. James’ layered portrayal of his subject demonstrates the agonizingly complex questions that surround issues of personal and social responsibility and criminal justice. The honesty that pervades this film serves to create an engrossing, humanistic and memorable work.

James first met Fielding as a volunteer in a Big Brother program while attending Southern Illinois University. James fell out of touch with Fielding after moving to Chicago after he graduated. The film begins as James attempts to re-connect with Fielding and determine what has transpired in the last decade of Fielding’s life.

As a narrative backdrop, James informs the audience of Fielding’s harrowing childhood. Abandoned by his parents, Fielding was raised by his step-grandmother for several years. Eventually Fielding was placed in a series of foster homes where he was repeatedly sexually abused. At the start of the film Fielding has been arrested numerous times for minor offenses and lives in a trailer home provided for him by his sister Brenda.

Stevie soon reveals itself to also be an examination of the legal system and its response to troubled individuals. Early in the film, Fielding is charged with child molestation and the evidence suggests he is guilty.

At this point, James is forced to walk a fine line between being an objective observer and a legal guardian as he navigates the legal system with Fielding. As Fielding’s case winds through the system, James must ask himself whether he indeed wants Stevie to go free without punishment.

While the legal drama plays out, we see Fielding’s attempts to come to some sort of resolution with his troubled youth.

The film does not provide a neat resolution, however. James is careful not to suggest that Stevie experiences a moral enlightenment. Rather, James leaves open the question of whether it is possible for a moral agent to truly change.

As the film ends, the audience is left with a litany of questions and no ready answers. James includes intimations toward possible solutions, along with an abundant amount of humor, insight and grief, but he allows each individual to reach his own conclusions.

Never sentimental or didactic, Stevie is an example of excellent documentary filmmaking.

peter beck

yes, it's true:

Steve James lives in Oak Park, Illinois, also home to Stumped.