The SXSW Film Festival has given me the opportunity to learn more about subjects I otherwise would know nothing about. Running for City Council in Texas, a classic Australian Western, a stage production of “Alien,” and much more. And now, dominoes. This documentary is about viral YouTuber Lily Hevesh as she goes around the world constructing various forms of domino art, while simultaneously trying to manufacture her own kind of domino. Although the topic is very niche, the documentary exemplifies how inspiring Havesh is.
Who knew that watching dominoes collapse could be so entertaining? Actually, millions of people. Lily Hevesh started making YouTube videos of her domino art at age 8, and now she has over 3.1 million subscribers. Other weirdly satisfying things like slime have gotten crazy online traction over the years, and Lily’s domino art is no exception. And while the documentary “Lily Topples The World” isn’t always entertaining, her domino art never fails to be.
The consistently best parts of the film are the simple ones. Lily spends hours crafting and constructing a structure with hundreds upon hundreds of dominoes. After a while, people start gathering around for whatever event she’s at. They all ooh and ahh at her as she’s putting on her finishing touches. She’s finally ready. She pokes the first domino and then some beautiful classical music fades in as these thousands of dominoes topple, creating a beautiful display of art.
Besides watching Lily’s work, some of my favorite parts were when she visited schools to teach children about her passion. Eventually, she gave them a few dominoes and let them try it out for themselves. It was wonderful to see these kids be so inspired by someone who’s not much older than them. This theme continues as it shows the many people who have gotten their start on YouTube, and how virtually anyone can post what they do and get somewhat famous from it.
Director Jeremy Workman. Photo: Astrid von Ussar.
The documentary itself wasn’t exactly any masterwork of editing (like SXSW’s “Kid Candidate”), but it ultimately gets the point across. If anything, I’m glad the camera crew captured some really crazy moments. One of the most painful ones was when Lily and two other professional domino artists are crafting one of the biggest domino structures I’ve ever seen. One of the other artists walks around the structure to add something, and he bumps the side of it with his shoulder. Suddenly, the entire thing comes crashing down, costing them dozens of hours of work. It gives the audience such a visceral reaction, and it’s one of the best shots of the documentary.
Like I said, there are tons of great moments, including Lily showing people her domino art and teaching kids about it. Unfortunately, the movie overstays its welcome. Scenes drag for way too long, and while Lily has a fantastic presence, the documentary overindulges itself with meaningless interviews and questions.
The story of Lily Hevesh is heartwarming, inspirational, and proves that as long as you’re passionate about something, people will recognize you for it. And while the documentary isn’t anything special, Lily’s domino art is worth the mediocrity.
