The Risks of Excess

The Queen of Versailles is a documentary that does its thing in the way only the best documentaries do: let the footage speak for itself.

The Siegels were once at the top of the social ladder. David Siegel was owner of the largest timeshare companies in the world, and was filthy rich as a result. One of his most prominent projects for his family was the Versailles house, which was to be the most expensive single family house in the United States. Life was good.

Unfortunately, the 2008 economic crisis stopped all that. Siegel was losing money, and eventually it takes its toll on his family.

The film is filled with many interesting characters, but none are as interesting as David's wife, Jackie. At first she seems like your typical trophy wife, but she isn't as scatterbrained as one may think (she graduated in Silicon Valley at a time when women taking up such courses were scarce). We watch her spend money frivolously as her husband struggles to keep his company afloat. I see her as someone who has gotten too used to a lifestyle that emphasizes too much on excess. In contrast, we are treated to the story of the Siegel's Filipino nanny, who is also a mother, and who has not seen her son in years. Her story of living in poverty and being happy to just be under a roof is a counterpoint to the events around her.

Of the members of Siegel's family, it is the children who seem attuned to the situation. They are aware that things may not be going that well, so they do the best they can as kids can.

The movie is a rather dark take on the American Dream, showing that the pursuit of material gain is not everything life has to offer. It's one of the best documentaries of the year, go see it.

A coda to this tale: last year, construction on the Versailles house had continued and is now on the market for 100 million dollars. The house is expected to be completed by 2014.