Revered documentarian Frederick Wiseman's four and a half hour documentary about Boston's city government ends up, frustratingly, as too reflective of its subject. This is a well meaning, extremely competently put together thing that is often fascinating but, ultimately, is so unwieldy and talky that it never really gets anything done. This is an exhaustive, … Continue reading City Hall (Review)
Tag: documentary
Time (Review)
Most critiques of the criminal justice system focus on how it lets down the innocent. This documentary, Time, focuses instead on how it mistreat the guilty, and is a stronger critique because of this. In a way, this is similar to Kieslowski’s masterpiece (one of his many) A Short Film About Killing, where showing how … Continue reading Time (Review)
African Apocalypse (Review)
Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is used as the impetus into an exploration of the ongoing effects of colonialism in Niger in this excellent documentary. Where many historians, and public figures, relegate colonialism to the comfortable past - pushed back as far as possible despite its actual proximity to the present - this documentary focuses on … Continue reading African Apocalypse (Review)
The Letter (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival At the very end, Maia Lekow and Chris King's documentary, The Letter, finally makes sense. It is not that it is nonsensical beforehand, it is that the overall purpose is unclear. The film ends with pictures of headlines of similar stories: rural Kenyan villages where … Continue reading The Letter (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Finding Sally (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival At the heart Tamara Dawit's documentary is the realisation that histories and identities are complex, and that the status of the present and the future relies on understanding, and interrogating, the past. In Finding Sally, Canadian born Tamara Mariam Dawit arrives in Ethiopia - the … Continue reading Finding Sally (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Le Loup d’Or de Balolé (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival One of the greatest strengths of film is as a vessel for empathy. This documentary, set in a granite quarry in Ouagadougou (the capital of Burkina Faso) focuses on the unseen, the unrepresented and the maligned. It confronts you with the humanity of people so … Continue reading Le Loup d’Or de Balolé (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
In Search… (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival Many documentaries take on important subjects, but not all of these end up as great documentaries. Fortunately, In Search... gets both sides of the equation right. This Kenyan documentary focuses on an inspiring young woman who decides to undergo reconstructive surgery after having been the … Continue reading In Search… (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Ghost Strata (Review)
Ben Rivers' experimental film begins with the filmmaker being given a tarot reading. This moment is looped back to at the end and foregrounds the film's major themes. On its most basic level, this a filmic scrapbook that chronicles the passing of time: there are twelve chapters, one per month, and each is made up … Continue reading Ghost Strata (Review)
Dick Johnson is Dead (Review)
This documentary about a man (the father of the filmmaker, Kirsten Johson) during the onset of dementia - and beyond - is a powerful, and wonderfully eclectic, work that showcases cinema's ability to both reveal and heal. Despite its heavy subject matter - it is literally a daughter chronicling her dying father - Dick Johnson … Continue reading Dick Johnson is Dead (Review)
Rising Phoenix (Review)
An inspiring and informative Netflix produced documentary focusing on Paralympic athletes and the history of the Games. This wide subject matter does lead to some imbalance - and certain stories feeling unfinished or underexplored - but the film definitely serves as a fantastic introduction to the subject: a great incentive to learn more for yourself. … Continue reading Rising Phoenix (Review)
Assorted Opinions 