Category Archives: Documentary

Photo: Topical Press Agency/Getty

Director:
Christopher Bruce

World Premiere:
ITV British TV broadcast (April 2020)

About:
An exploration of the impact of WWII on the British monarch.

When Great Britain entered WWII in September 1939, Princess Elizabeth was only 13 years old. As demonstrated in director Christopher Bruce’s competent hour-long doc, her experiences for the duration served as a literal coming of age that would uniquely prepare her for the throne some 13 years later. Following a brief introduction that lays out the unexpected developments that made Elizabeth the heir presumptive, the film proceeds to highlight her activities during the war, including initially being sent away to the relative safety of the countryside before becoming more involved as a public figure as she matured, volunteering for the war effort by participating in fundraisers, delivering radio addresses, and eventually joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a driver, making her the only current world head of state to have served in the military during WWII. While the project’s brief run time make it difficult to dig particularly deep, it benefits enormously from rare archival footage, most likely little seen by general audiences.

Coming to The WORLD Channel’s America ReFramed tonight, Tuesday, May 5:
WHERE THE PAVEMENT ENDS

Director:
Jane Gillooly

World Premiere:
Camden 2018

Select Festivals:
Documentary Fortnight, Full Frame, St Louis

About:
A meditation on the history of race relations in Ferguson MO and its neighboring black-only town, Kinloch.

Taking as her starting point the August 2014 slaying of 18-year-old African American Michael Brown Jr by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson MO and the protests and outrage that followed, Jane Gilooly – who grew up in Ferguson – attempts to trace the roots of the racial division in the area by examining the community’s past. At the core of her film is the long-standing controversy of the segregation between Ferguson, historically all-white, and its neighbor, Kinloch, all-black, literalized for decades by the maintenance of a physical barrier on the main border road, preventing easy travel between the two towns until it was finally removed in the late 1970s. Taking a contemplative approach, with as much visual focus on the landscape as on individuals, and a measured pace that may test some viewers, Gilooly examines the harmful impact of this institutionalized segregation through archival artifacts and the oral testimony of residents of both communities, a legacy that informs the shooting of Michael Brown.

Coming to PBS’s Reel South today, Monday, May 4:
SEADRIFT

Director:
Tim Tsai

World Premiere:
Slamdance 2019

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Los Angeles Asian Pacific, CAAMFest, Dallas, Hot Springs Doc, Indie Grits

About:
An investigation into the hostility experienced by Vietnamese refugees along the US Gulf Coast.

Ostensibly centered around the fatal shooting of a white crabber in the small fishing community of Seadrift TX in 1979, director Tim Tsai’s film attempts to address a far larger story around immigration, racism, and American identity. In the 1970s, Seadrift found itself to be the new home to refugees from the Vietnam War, many who turned to the local crabbing trade to make a living. Unfortunately, through cultural differences and a lack of communication, Vietnamese crabbers soon encountered hostility and accusations of sabotage of established fishermen’s livelihood, eventually leading to violence and the death of Billy Joe Aplin after a dispute with Sau Van Nguyen. The resulting trial and its aftermath brought unwanted attention to the town, both from the national media and the Ku Klux Klan, increasing racial tensions. Unfortunately, Tsai only gets to the Aplin case halfway through his too-short film, a problem of pacing that recurs in the abrupt resolution, resulting in an ultimately unsatisfying investigation that could have delved deeper into still timely issues around refugees and xenophobia.

New to DVD this week:
STREET FIGHTING MEN

Director:
Andrew James

World Premiere:
IFF Boston 2017

Select Festivals:
San Francisco DocFest, Big Sky Doc, Freep, St Louis, Brooklyn, Rhode Island

About:
An observational portrait of three African-American men of different generations living in Detroit.

Shooting over several years, filmmaker Andrew James provides an intimate look at the struggles and resilience of three men trying in their own way to improve their lives and their community. The eldest, Jack Rabbit, is a retired police officer who still monitors local crime through a civilian neighborhood watch program; Deris is the youngest, who tries to leave his past criminal ways behind him after becoming a father; and, in the middle, Luke, who is attempting to singlehandedly remodel his own home. While the subjects are personable underdogs, their stories never intersect, making the film feel a bit episodic and disjointed, exacerbated by its too leisurely pace. Still the project provides welcome positive representations of strong African-American men, and succeeds in conveying an ultimately hopeful message.