class notes
Metaphor and Reality In their first collaboration since their days at Deerfield,
Film Festival. It has also begun to tour with the
Seth Cuddeback ’04 and Benjamin Dohrmann ’04
Independent Exposure film series. project is a film to be released this spring. Mateo is
Philadelphia Film Festival.
a 90-minute documentary featuring Matthew
The plot of Kelp is simple: a man begins to bathe
Stoneman, someone who has followed an unusual
with kelp, and as a result, his wife leaves him. On a
career path for a middle-aged Caucasian man—
deeper level, however, the short film explores the nature
Mr. Stoneman is a mariachi singer.
of relationships and infidelity in an imaginative way.
Mr. Stoneman first discovered mariachi music
“We’re treating the kelp as if it were a typical sort
while he was serving a sentence in prison for rob-
of extramarital affair, as if it were a woman—another
bery. Inspired by boleros, or slow romantic songs, he
woman,” Mr. Cuddeback said. “What’s important isn’t
learned basic guitar chords, wrote his own songs, and
necessarily that he chooses kelp, but rather that he
sang for prison staff and inmates. He was released
chooses to be unfaithful. We didn’t want the absurd
from prison in 2001 and soon after became a constant
nature of his decision to completely overshadow the
presence on the streets of East Los Angeles, impressing
significance of the decision itself.”
many with the novelty of his performances. Over
Besides its Philadelphia Film Festival honors,
94
Mr. Cuddeback and Mr. Dohrmann’s next joint
Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the 2010
the past decade, Mr. Stoneman has often worked
Kelp was the winner of Open Projector Night at the
seven days a week, singing the same songs for twelve
Hammer Museum and an Official Selection at both
hours a day, and competing with L.A.’s other mariachis
the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Berkshire International
for prime spots in restaurants.
Winter 2011
Photos: Courtesy of Seth Cuddeback and Benjamin Dohrmann; Screenshots from Kelp
co-wrote and co-directed Kelp, which won the