'Set!' Review | Hot Docs 2021

The 2021 Hot Docs Festival will be available for audiences across Canada to stream April 29 to May 9. Hot Docs is the largest documentary focused film festival in North America and the line-up this year is absolutely incredible.

Check out my interview with director of Set! Scott Gawlik!

Set! (2021)

Director and Producer: Scott Gawlik

Synopsis: Once a year, a group of feverishly determined table setters vie for the “Best of Show” ribbon at the Orange County Fair table setting competition. Often referred to as “The Olympics of Table Setting,” contestants can spend over 6 months preparing their table to compete and ultimately be judged. A mere misplaced soup spoon can mean the end for an otherwise perfect table. But like any competition, it is not without its dramatics. Old rivalries, controversy, and eccentric personalities come to a head as SET! explores topics far beyond the silverware.

Review:

Part documentary, part reality show -- this is American culture at its finest.

Set! peels back the curtain on the competitive table setting world. A world that I would estimate the majority didn't know about and is every bit as quirky and intense as you'd expect. Director Scott Gawlik sets the scene by following a group of passionate competitors preparing for the Orange County Fair competition with the ultimate goal of walking away with the elusive Best in Show ribbon.

We follow the creative journey each competitor goes on to develop their unique table setting and meet the supporting characters in their lives. There's Bonnie, the seasoned veteran of the competition; Hilarie, your bad girl of table setting who pushes the envelope every year and isn't afraid to make a statement; Janet, the one with the loudest and most impressive looking presentations; Christel, aided by her mother, she just seems to be there for the fun but don't be mistaken, she takes it very seriously; Crystal, the reigning champ; and Tim, a man who found purpose in his life through tablescaping. There's even an aqua aerobics team called 'The Water Babes' who support one of their own, including taking a keen interest in a dress rehearsal of sorts that had a male belly dancer perform to their delight.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love people who have a passion. The more obscure the better. It's the people who have a genuine and deep affection for the seemingly random that are the most interesting. Set! not only finds these people but gives them a spotlight that they wouldn't otherwise have.

Gawlik really did a tremendous job with this documentary finding the perfect cast of competitors to follow, injecting his humour throughout, and most importantly, respecting the people and the craft of table setting. Set! will definitely bring to mind the Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy mockumentary classic, Best in Show (2000), and given the nature of this competition it would have been easy to take the mick out of those involved. But Gawlik covers the Orange County Fair like an ESPN 30 for 30, never belittling the competition or disrespecting the efforts put in.

The filmmaking of Set! deserves a shout out, too. This could have gone the way of just being a reality show, and there are certainly elements of that genre, but the cinematography keeps it well within the realms of compelling cinema. The score punctuates the humour and the brilliant camera work really elevates each competitor's story.

I got deeply invested in this competition as the documentary went on. For someone who had never heard of 'tablescaping' before, I had some really strong opinions about each presentation and ultimately can't believe who won. (Sorry, but creativity should be valued more by the judges!). I can't recommend this documentary enough and next time you're at a county fair, see if they have a table setting competition!

Set! is available to watch in Canada via Hot Docs until May 9th.

Thanks to GAT PR for the screener!