Hot Docs 2019: ‘For Sama’
For Sama (DIR. Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts) For Sama is one of the heaviest documentaries I’ve ever seen – a true battle about staying hopeful in hopeless circumstances.
Documentary
Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable
Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable is a slow burn. Directed by Sasha Waters Freyer, the documentary focuses on photography legend Garry Winograd whose unique approach to street photography captured the spirit of American life in the 1960s in New York and later, through the 1970s and 1980s, in Texas and California. As the film emphasizes, Winogrand’s method could be considered ahead of his time in that he shot using analogue technology without regard for…
The Brink
The Brink should be a more controversial movie than it is. For a little over 90 minutes, audiences closely observe Steve Bannon, former chairman of right-wing news outlet Breitbart News and former chief strategist for President Donald Trump. Isn’t it insane for Bannon, a highly criticized public figure, to volunteer himself to be the subject of a documentary?
Finding Hygge
Finding Hygge explores the Danish concept of hygge, which a quick Google search tells me has to do with comfort, wellness, and happiness. I was forced to Google, because at no point in this ninety-minute long documentary is the concept distilled or defined in a coherent manner.
A Tuba to Cuba
Jazz doc A Tuba to Cuba has a structure that’s similar to the musical genre’s free-flowing essence – the film is informed and pleasant to take in, but it’s also suspiciously unkempt.
52 Words for Love
The best choice made about 52 Words for Love concerns its release date. Whoever decided to release this movie on Valentine’s Day deserves a big box of chocolates.
Sharkwater: Extinction
Circling back to the achievements he made wth his breakout doc Sharkwater, filmmaker/conservationist Rob Stewart checks in in the status of sharks in his final film Sharkwater: Extinction. The documentary, however, takes on a parallel meaning because it’s not only a swan song to an endangered species, it’s also a touching goodbye to Stewart and his career in activism.
Wonders of the Sea
NOTE: Wonders of the Sea is currently being screened in 3D across Canada, but this review reflects the 2D version of the film. Wonders of the Sea has everything that you would get out of an uninterrupted computer screensaver of the ocean floor: opulent underwater visuals of fish and undefinable critters, and crossover transitions that meld everything together. The screensaver is better, however, because it’s quiet. Wonders of the Sea is informative, but there are too many…
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Hale County This Morning, This Evening is an unconventional documentary of sorts, but it makes sense for photographer RaMell Ross to make his feature-length filmmaking debut with this project. After all, it’s essentially an assortment of photographs that have come to life. The film captures fragmented life in Hale County, Alabama; creating a fly-on-the-wall visit for audiences who observe the community during routines and conversations. Only a few subjects are interviewed on camera, but they speak openly…