Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 27: HOLY HELL
Will Allen’s chronicle of his time in a cult made its bow at Sundance earlier this year. Screenings followed at Hot Docs, Nashville, Montclair, Minneapolis-St Paul, DocAviv, Martha’s Vineyard, and the upcoming Biografilm.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Thursday, May 26 and to VOD this Friday, May 27: LOS PUNKS: WE ARE ALL WE HAVE
Angela Boatwright’s portrait of a music subculture made its debut at Slamdance earlier this year. Other events have included IFF Boston, San Francisco Doc, San Antonio Cine Festival, East End, and Topanga.
Displaying an anarchic edge that is both fitting for its subject matter and ultimately to its detriment, Boatwright offers a down and dirty behind the scenes look at a small but appreciated punk music scene that’s taken root among young Latino/a fans in South Central and East Los Angeles. Embracing a DIY code, these fans throw together loud backyard parties, spreading the word through social media, and enjoy themselves until the inevitable noise complaints shut things down. The filmmaker finds some intriguing characters, chief among them Nacho, a party organizer and member of the band Corrupted Youth. The problem is that she doesn’t stop with him, or even two or three other subjects who demonstrate some potential – instead Boatwright keeps introducing more and more one-offs who simply detract from the proceedings and fail to make much of an impression. While it’s understandable to some extent if the goal is to present the scope of the Latino punk scene as a whole, given the film’s very specific Los Angeles setting and distinct core audiences – punk music fans, Latinos – it would have been to the project’s benefit to offer fewer more fleshed out figures like Nacho to help the unconverted viewer have a better chance to connect with the subject matter.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, May 24: BARGE
Ben Powell’s immersive portrait of men at sea made its premiere at SXSW last year. The film also screened at DOC NYC, New Orleans, Full Frame, RiverRun, Dallas, IFF Boston, Montclair, Ashland, and Little Rock, among other events.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Intimately capturing an under-acknowledged slice of American industry, Ben Powell’s vibrantly shot film follows the voyage of a Mississippi towboat and its precious cargo to its destination in New Orleans. The hardy crew, representing a diverse microcosm of American river culture, from ambitious newcomers to seasoned sea dogs, sign on for month-long tours of duty. Misfits on land, they find purpose – and a welcome paycheck – for their part in keeping this essential industrial economic ecosystem afloat.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, May 25: UNLOCKING THE CAGE
Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker’s chronicle of a crusade to recognize the legal rights of animals debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Festival berths followed at Hot Docs, Full Frame, Sarasota, Minneapolis/St Paul, Montclair, Visions du Réel, DocAviv, and the upcoming New Zealand, Melbourne, and deadCENTER.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed and to VOD today, Tuesday, May 24: MY LIFE IN CHINA
Kenneth Eng’s personal look at his father’s American Dream debuted at the San Diego Asian Film Festival in 2014. Other festival appearances have included Florida, St Louis, Bahamas, and Asian/Asian American fests in Dallas, Boston, and Seattle, as well as several community screenings. Concurrent with its television broadcast, tied to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the film also becomes available on iTunes.
Eng’s father left China in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution. Eventually making his way to the United States, he was unable to find opportunities commensurate with his education, and instead felt forced into service jobs. Now older, still struggling financially, and also forced into the role of caretaker for his mentally ill wife, Eng’s father feels like a failure and wonders what his life might have been like had he stayed in China after all. With his native country seeing unparalleled economic prosperity, he sets out on an exploratory visit that might augur a permanent return. While the roughly-made if earnest film that results from this premise unfortunately too often feels like a tourist video, it does succeed in bringing a real vulnerability to the elder Eng as he contemplates a lifetime of regrets.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to NYC’s JCC for their CineMatters series tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24, to Stranger Than Fiction this Thursday, May 26, and to theatres and VOD this Friday, May 27: PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW
Ido Haar’s inspirational portrait of an unusual musical collaboration debuted under its original title, THRU YOU PRINCESS, at Jerusalem last year. It went on to screen at Toronto, Miami, SXSW, True/False, Cleveland, Nashville, San Francisco, Montclair, Seattle, Tempo Doc, and Docs Against Gravity, among other events.
Under the pretense of profiling YouTube performers, Haar makes contact with Samantha, a New Orleans-based caregiver to the elderly who records online confessionals alongside original songs under the name Princess Shaw for a small number of followers, and occasionally tries to perform at open mic nights. What she doesn’t know is that her songs have attracted the attention of the renowned Kutiman, an Israeli musician who specializes in mash-ups, carefully sampling an astonishing number of publicly-available music clips and editing them into remarkable new compositions. The film follows both artists in parallel – Princess as she struggles to realize her performing dreams, Kutiman as he composes his latest song, highlighting and validating Princess’ talent – all unbeknownst to her until an unforgettable, emotional reveal that opens up the world to the likeable would-be star.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s POV tonight, Monday, May 23: THE RETURN
Kelly Duane De La Vega and Katie Galloway’s intimate look at the challenges faced by recently-released prisoners had its world premiere at Tribeca last month, winning an audience award. It also screened at San Francisco, as well as several community screenings around the country in the lead-up to its national PBS broadcast.
Until a 2012 proposition passed, California had one of the most punishing Three Strikes laws in the nation. Repeat offenders found themselves subject to life in prison, often for minor crimes. With the success of Prop 36, prisoners incarcerated under the draconian law found new hope, suddenly eligible for re-sentencing and, in some cases, release. Though tackling a large subject, De La Vega and Galloway wisely constrain themselves to a handful of subjects, including newly-released lifers Bilal and Kenneth, and attorneys from Stanford’s Justice Advocacy Project, who fight for the rights of other Three Strikes prisoners. While the latter offer valuable insight into the negative effect of this harsh sentencing, particularly among people of color, the poor, and the mentally ill, the film’s primary strength is in Bilal and Kenneth’s stories. As these men readjust to life on the outside, attempt to find gainful employment, try to re-establish bonds with family, and resist addiction, the true impact of mass incarceration is palpably felt.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 20: THE OTHER SIDE
Roberto Minervini’s hybrid portrait of Louisiana outsiders had its world premiere at Cannes last year. Other festival appearances have included Toronto, Karlovy Vary, Biografilm, Bergen, Athens, Rio, Palm Springs, True/False, Goteborg, Docs Against Gravity, and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Art of the Real.
Like his previous work, the Italian director offers an outside perspective on Americans living on the margins of conventional society, filtered through a hybrid approach that casts his protagonists as versions of themselves. In this case, Minervini turns his attention to the backwoods of Louisiana, initially focusing on the relationship between addicts Mark, a drug-dealer, and Lisa, his girlfriend, though peppered with other local denizens who spend their time on camera railing against President Obama. After the couple move off-frame, the film shifts gear to profile a paranoid militia convinced that the federal government will soon declare martial law and take away their guns. It’s a aesthetically stunning yet intellectually disquieting look at the extremes of American society, but one which informs the divisive, frustrated, and hate-fueled invective that has risen to the fore in recent years, particularly in this election cycle.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop FIlms tomorrow, Saturday, May 21: HOLY HELL
Will Allen’s reflection on life in a secretive cult premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Other fest berths have included Hot Docs, Nashville, Montclair, Minneapolis-St Paul, DocAviv, Martha’s Vineyard, and the upcoming Biografilm.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Sundance
Coming to DVD and VOD today, Friday, May 20: SONG OF LAHORE
Andy Schocken and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s crosscultural jazz doc made its bow at Tribeca last year. Screenings have followed at IDFA, Sydney, Melbourne, Hamptons, Heartland, and Dubai.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
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