Category Archives: Documentary

Coming to PBS tomorrow, Tuesday, September 4:
EX LIBRIS: THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

Director:
Frederick Wiseman

Premiere:
Venice 2017

Select Festivals:
Toronto, IDFA, CPH:DOX, London, Busan, Zurich, Hamburg, Rio, Vienna, Camerimage

About:
An immersive look at the titular institution.

Wiseman, the master of institutional portraits, here introduces the viewer to the various roles and functions of the New York Public Library. Far from being only a storehouse for books, the NYPL – as represented by several of its 92 branches citywide – instead underscores its essential role in serving the citizenry. Less about the literature it offers and more about the people who make use of it, Wiseman’s film drops the audience into a seemingly endless buzz of activity, from job recruitment fairs to book club meetings, children’s literacy programs and conversations with the likes of Patti Smith and Ta-Nehisi Coates, music concerts and accessibility programs for the blind and deaf. As in several of his other works, the director also offers intriguing behind the scenes moments, revealing library staff addressing how they are staying current and relevant to the needs of their users, such as offering expanded Internet access and a greater selection of eBooks. While its arguable that Wiseman could have accomplished as vibrant a profile in less than the film’s 3 hour plus run time, it remains an illuminating project.

Coming to VOD today, Friday, August 31:
THIS IS CONGO

Director:
Daniel McCabe

Premiere:
Venice 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, IDFA, Camden, DocPoint, Big Sky Doc, Palm Springs, Woodstock, Stockholm, Human Rights Watch, Glasgow, Docville

About:
An inside look at the complex forces behind the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ongoing conflicts.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

New to DVD this week:
THE LAST LAUGH

Director:
Ferne Pearlstein

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
IDFA, Hot Docs, London, Traverse City, CNEX Doc, DOC10, Sebastopol Doc, Hot Springs Doc, Chicago, Jerusalem, Stockholm, Munich, Key West, Aspen, Jewish fests in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Toronto, Nashville, Vancouver, Berlin, Miami, Denver, Copenhagen, Detroit, Austin, and Boston

About:
An exploration of taboo topics – like the Holocaust – in comedy.

In an age when virtually anything a comedian might joke about might be found offensive to a particular group of people, Pearlstein explores what may be among the most taboo of taboo topics: The Holocaust in comedy. Assembling a who’s who of talking heads – including Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Lisa Lampanelli, and Gilbert Gottfried, among many others – the film questions whether it’s appropriate to use humor to explore one of the worst tragedies in modern history, and what boundaries these and other comedians have in tackling this and other difficult subjects such as 9/11. Representing the perspective of actual Holocaust survivors here is Renee Firestone, who, while able to find some philosophical positivity despite her travails in the camps, isn’t usually amused by jokes about the Holocaust. While the film doesn’t always elegantly blend the comics’ talking heads riff with Firestone’s often too-familiar scenes – and probably should have stayed exclusively focused on the Holocaust rather than going a bit too broad with other taboo topics – it nevertheless offers often very funny insight about the roles and functions of humor to make sense of all of life’s experiences, including the difficult ones.

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Friday, August 31:
EVA HESSE

Director:
Marcie Begleiter

Premiere:
Whitney Museum of American Art (May 2015)

Select Festivals:
Docaviv, Virginia, Denver’s Women + Film series, Washington Jewish, Philadelphia Jewish, Wexner Center for the Arts

About:
A portrait of the pioneering postwar artist.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, August 31:
PICK OF THE LITTER

Directors:
Don Hardy and Dana Nachman

Premiere:
Slamdance 2018

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Hot Docs, AFI Docs, Melbourne, New Zealand, Sydney, Cleveland, Seattle, San Francisco, Freep, Hawaii, Newport Beach

About:
A behind the scenes look at the training of guide dogs for the blind.

I previously wrote about the doc here.