This Really Should Be a Disaster Film

Myles Berkowitz is a director whose first movie, “20 Dates,” is a humorous documentary about his quest to find Ms. Right. His most recent project tackles a much darker subject, one that most filmmakers wouldn’t dare touch.

He spent an NFL season with fans of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Berkowitz, who grew up in New York but always rooted for the Bengals, shot the documentary last year and now is marketing it to networks.

“It’s almost a celebration of fanhood,” he said. “What you’re doing is getting a lesson in loyalty, patriotism and passion. But, as a Bengal fan, I just see the same mistakes on a management level being made every year.... No one is enthusiastic about the Bengals anymore. You see some basic mistakes and problems that are just so simple to fix, but nothing’s being done about them.”

Berkowitz watches his favorite team each Sunday at Yankee Doodles, a Santa Monica sports bar, where he can commiserate with his fellow Bengal brethren.

“You can see the difference in fans there,” he said. “Raiders fans are loud and obnoxious; Giants fans have this pained expression, no matter what’s happening; Jets fans hate Giants fans; Miami fans seem to have blow-dried hair and are good looking.”

And Bengal fans?

“They’re always way in the back, next to the men’s room,” he said.

“They always have this slow, sad expression. The life has just been beaten out of them.”

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Sam Farmer