[Note: There’s no review of The Gatekeepers since, well, I haven’t seen it. It’s also the only one still in theaters, so it’ll be the hardest to get access to for the majority of people who’ll miss these films until they hit Netflix or Redbox.]
Searching for Sugar Man…This was the winner of the Best Documentary Oscar, and yet I’m wondering how it even got nominated. It’s not that this tale (about a washed up folk singer who became a mega-star in South Africa…and if you know that, you know pretty much the full story) isn’t good, it’s just not even close to “the best.” Unlike the other nominees, it’s not about anything particularly important. Unlike some of my favorite documentaries of last year (like the jaw-dropping The Imposter) it’s not about anything particularly interesting. It’s a nice, feel-good movie that ends on a warm note, but it doesn’t even fully probe it’s limited subject, and I can’t help but think the “Best” documentary should be a little more than that. Grade: B
5 Broken Cameras…Unlike Sugar Man, this is about something important. This film is a Palestinian’s eye view of the controversy over Israeli settlements, and if that sounds interesting, well, maybe it should have been. But something about this film felt oddly…reductive. It felt like if you know that life is bad for Palestinians, then you’ve pretty much grasped what the entire film will be about, and aren’t really going to learn anything new. A ten minute feature on 60 Minutes could probably tell you just as much, if not more than this does. Following a ground’s-eye view of an issue can sometimes be eye-opening, but it doesn’t really do this issue justice. [The Israeli/Palestinian debate always has emotions running high anyway.] Grade: B
How to Survive a Plague…Finally, we’re getting somewhere. This film has the serious subject matter of 5 Broken Cameras, but with more snap, depth, and perspective (plus a little of Searching for Sugar Man’s pop value). It’s about the very scary years of the AIDs epidemic, and the government’s/general public’s lackluster response. [I.e. the government does nothing and a lot of people feel the gay community deserves it.] Among the many eye-opening archival videos the documentary uses is former NYC mayor Ed Koch (an interesting paradox of a liberal without compassion) blowing off concerns and Pat Buchanan arguing with an AIDs activist on CNN, where he hosted a show. If the fact that legendary bigot Pat Buchanan used to be on CNN, and now Anderson Cooper is doesn’t show how cultural attitudes have shifted on the issue of homosexuality, then I don’t know what does. Grade: B+
The Invisible War…The best of them all follows the issue of rape and sexual harassment in the military. It’s hard not to feel outraged while watching this, but also a little hopeful that the film is actually affecting change. [A few days after screening the doc, then-secretary of defense Leon Panetta changed the rules of how rapes in the military are investigated, or, just as often, not investigated.] This is the rare documentary that can open people’s eyes to an issue they’ve probably never thought about, and can also create progress. Sounds like the real Best Documentary to me. Grade: A-