Category Archives: Documentary

New to VOD this week:
ONE NATION UNDER STRESS

Director:
Marc Levin

World Premiere:
Pure Nonfiction (March 2019)

About:
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta investigates why American life expectancy is on the decline.

With US life expectancy seeing a decline a surprising three years in a row, Dr Sanjay Gupta sets out to determine the root cause. Focusing on the corresponding increase in disturbing “deaths of despair” – including suicide, opioid overdose, and conditions related to alcohol abuse, like cirrhosis of the liver – Gupta hones in on one underlying culprit: stress. Speaking to a variety of medical, social, and even economic experts, the neurosurgeon explores the chronic stress resulting from today’s economic uncertainty and social instability, and its detrimental impact on health. Wisely acknowledging that such factors are multivalent, the film also explores mitigating factors, such as class, race, and community support structures. While fairly conventional in its approach, the film is informative and offers a sense of practical steps that may be taken to help alleviate chronic stress and reverse its ill effects.

New to DVD this week:
RAÚL JULIÁ: THE WORLD’S A STAGE

Director:
Ben DeJesus

World Premiere:
Los Angeles Latino 2019

About:
A tribute to the life and legacy of acclaimed Puerto Rican actor Raúl Juliá.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

New to DVD this week:
THE PROPOSAL

Director:
Jill Magid

Premiere:
Tribeca 2018

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Sheffield, Rotterdam, Dokufest, New Orleans, Camden, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, Ambulante, Antenna, RIDM, Palm Springs, Hamptons, Vancouver, Göteborg, Portland, Salem, DocPoint

About:
The artist/filmmaker engages in a polite battle of wills over access to – and the legacy of – a celebrated Mexican architect’s work.

I previously wrote about the film hereL.