TV Reviews : ‘P.O.V’ Explores Twins, Cajuns and Folk Songs

It might be best to think of tonight’s “P.O.V.”--airing at 10 on Channels 28 and 15--as a batter at the plate: Two of three of these films are hits and one of them is a home run. Not a bad batting average.

The three films are linked together, at least in the mind of the “P.O.V.” publicity staff, because they “display the vitality of American culture from Ohio to the Bayou to New York.” But the three vary widely in their ability to capture that vitality.

First up is “Twinsburg, OH: Some Kind of Weird Twin Thing.” Producer-director Sue Marcoux ventured to the site of the annual Twin Days gathering, to meet up with her twin sister Michele and to shoot her master’s thesis film. The result is of mild interest for its look at the twins who converge on this small town for their moment in the sun, but “Twinsburg” is badly marred by the excessive, self-indulgent time spent examining Sue and Michele’s relationship.

Going from the student to the master of the genre, next up is Les Blank’s “Mark and Ann,” a delightful look at a couple who live and breathe Cajun culture and music. Producer-director-cinematographer Blank’s presence is unobtrusive; he allows Mark and Ann Savoy--as charming and natural a couple as you could hope to meet--the freedom to talk about their concerns. A large part of the pleasure is the music that has consumed their lives--as Mark says, “I didn’t have any choice in the matter, it (Cajun music) was something that got me and wouldn’t let go.”

Last in “P.O.V.’s” 90-minute offering is “Plena,” a look at the evolution of this type of Puerto Rican folk song by the team of Pedro A. Rivera and Susan Zeig. “Plena” casts a wider net than “Marc and Ann” while it mixes bits of historical footage with present-day interviews. The music is infectious and the lyrics cover much territory despite the genre’s roots in workers’ politics in the 1900s. “Whatever’s going on gets into a plena--it’s about life,” says one cheerful performer. “Plena” (in Spanish and subtitled) is an entertaining look at a small slice of Puerto Rican culture and history.