The Neverending Pursuit of the Holy Grail

2026.03.07

A few days ago, I went to see Iron Lung. My expectations for it were low - as is my expectations for creative fiction projects made by big Youtubers - but I took interest in this specific film because Markiplier cared for the project. Rather than an internet personality looking for a paycheck or boost in reputation through an autobiopic, Markiplier felt like any other indie creator that wanted to put their best foot forward with their work.

So I watched it. Went in blind, and it wasn't half-bad.

It was rough around the edges, sure, but its vision was strong. What's even more interesting is that many of the film's weaknesses (ironically) come from the sheer love for the original game. The film had many hamfisted flashbacks and exposition scenes that I can only assume Markiplier insisted on including in full for the sake of being faithful to the source material. If you ask me, that is one of the best weaknesses you could ever have in an adaptation.

But I digress. My interest in the original game was piqued coming out of the movie theater. I wondered, "How have I not heard of Iron Lung before?" Concept-wise and gameplay-wise, it seemed like something up my alley; yet, I went into the film blind knowing nothing other than Markiplier's name. That question then lead me to ponder my reason for buying my ticket in the first place. Went out of the apartment and everything. Sure, I bought it for Markiplier - but not necessarily because I was an avid watcher of his Youtube channel, nor was it even because I've heard many times that he was a genuine person behind the camera. I bought it because I wanted to support Markiplier's endeavors as an independent director. On top of knowing that this movie would do wonders for the independent filmmaking scene thanks to his reputation on Youtube, I simply wanted to support a fellow creative.

This made me think about all the other times I checked something out simply because I wanted to support indie creators. I browse through indie webcomics (that are posted page by page as God intended), I throw money at the first comic/zine artist I see at conventions otherwise dominated by stickers and keychains, and once in a blue moon I lurk on RoyalRoad. More often than not, they keep me entertained enough, but they don't quite scratch my preferences. The art looks too Western, there's too much romance, there are white leftist undertones - there's always something, even if I'd vouch for the work in terms of good execution. Despite all this, I'll still pay good money to keep the creators going.

It sucks knowing that, if I were to treat these works the same way I treat traditionally-published/produced works, I wouldn't give at least half of the works I've come across a chance. It's easier to establish myself as a customer with trad works: easier for me to put down a work for something as arbitrary as being in a genre I don't enjoy reading or watching. If Iron Lung (film) was marketed as any other horror film and was made by anyone else, I would've skipped the movie in favor of the game. With indie works, however, I'm much nicer. Doesn't matter if the genre is out of my scope or if the concept isn't something I particularly care for or heck, even if it the quality wasn't up to par. I will most likely still give it a shot anyway.

As a fellow creative, being supportive of others makes me happy. As a customer, I am still yet in pursuit of media that really really tickles my fancy. It's a beautiful thing when it happens, but it happens very rarely. "You're not looking hard in the right places," in response to my dissatisfaction with mainstream catalogues is tiring to hear after looking in many places.

I guess it's not all that bad though. My openness to check out things I normally wouldn't has helped expand my horizons; it's even helped with solidifying my preferences. There's never anything that'll align with me 1:1 and I think it's better that way - it motivates me to work on my own projects.

Interestingly enough, a surprising exception would be the realm of video games - I can find indie games to my taste with my eyes closed. I'm actually surprised the original Iron Lung escaped my radar, though I admitttedly haven't been diligent with playing video games.