Lost film

In the documentary, Tan uses the recovered footage to illustrate the backstory of Shirkers before switching gears to unfurl some of the yarns Cardona spun, involving both herself and other young people he took advantage of.

“It seemed like he would hijack the movie a second time because he’s so interesting,” she says. “But you could not possibly tell our story without telling his story.

“I think his story is so remarkably fascinating because he was very creative. But his way of creating was to create holes in people’s lives so he could be remembered.”

Tan knew for years that the story of Shirkers deserved to be told, but it wasn’t until she was reunited with the footage in