Auto Focus is a dark, disturbing, and rather depressing look at one man’s descent from fame to depravity. Director Paul Schrader (writer of Taxi Driver and writer/director of Affliction) presents a harsh look at the life and decline of Bob Crane (played brilliantly by Greg Kinnear), the star of the TV series Hogan’s Heroes in the 1960s. The film begins with Crane as a popular disc jockey in Hollywood. He seems to have it all – fame, money, family – but he wants more. When he is offered the part of Hogan, his fame skyrockets and his descent begins. His increased visibility allows him to indulge more often in a once-hidden addiction – sex. Then when he hooks up with John “Carpy” Carpenter (Willem Dafoe), a sleazy, needy audiovisual salesman, his life begins spiraling out of control. Soon his wife has left him, and he indulges in everything from playing drums in house bands at strip clubs to all-out orgies with Carpy, painstakingly videotaped then replayed for the two men’s pleasure. Eventually Crane looses everything.

The acting in Auto Focus is excellent, and the cinematography shadows Crane’s destruction; the scenes are bright, lively, and in sharp focus at the beginning of Crane’s career and slowly disintegrate into darkness and graininess by the end. Auto Focus is somewhat difficult to watch – there’s no whitewashing here – but it is very well done and definitely demonstrates that allowing yourself to focus on something potentially destructive usually results in destruction.