A documentary by Karla Murthy.
We all have our own version of our parents. My brothers and sisters no doubt see our mum and dad in subtly different ways to me. Karla Murthy is no different – and she’s chosen to tell the world about her father. Or at least, her version of him.
Over many years, she’d accumulated a collection of films and recordings: phone calls, road trips they took together, family gatherings – the everyday interactions all families have – were often documented in some way or another.
As a filmmaker, she began to ask questions. Could she turn this into some kind of portrait of him? Would he approve? And what would the rest of the family think?
After several false starts, she finally did it – and the result is The Gas Station Attendant, a charming, fascinating and illuminating film.
In it, she explores the life of a man who came to the United States from South Asia and fully embraced the American Dream. We see the changing nature of her relationship with him, shaped over the years by real highs and lows. As she tells his story, she also finds echoes of her own life. Both left home young – though in totally different circumstances – and both set out to make something of their lives.
Karla has very sensitively and skilfully crafted a compelling narrative from what must have been a daunting collection of taped conversations and footage. I asked her to tell me more.
“I tried many times over the years to make something of these films and recordings, but I just couldn’t figure out how to make it work.
I’d heard his stories so many times – about his childhood, and the quite unbelievable way he came to the United States – and I thought it was something people would love to hear. I wanted to make sense of all the material and put it into a narrative, but it was never right, so I just set it aside.
“My attitude changed after I’d finished my first feature film. That was about people who had lived in the same town all their lives, with connections going back generations. I was drawn to their devotion to place, but I realised that both my story and my father’s were the total opposite.
“I tried working with an editor to shape all my archive into a film, but in the end, I realised I had to do it myself.”
“Even though I was a second-generation immigrant, both my father and I were trying to find our way in life, so I decided to tell both our stories together. I moved to New York, but I was worried about him, working nights. I used to call him after dark, just to keep him company when he was working late. He never tired of telling the family about his life in India, and he’d always said he wanted to record it – so when we chatted late at night, I just decided to record our talks. When I listen now, I can hear how he’s clearly working in a gas station, and that gives the recording a fascinating perspective.”
The Gas Station Attendant is a charming and compelling film, telling how a near fairy tale-like sequence of events changed the life of someone who grew up in abject poverty. Karla Murthy has created a superb story of life and luck – both good and bad – in modern-day America.
