Halfway through Summer, it’s time for a getaway. If you can’t take the time off, watch my latest curated selections for Hulu’s Documentaries and hit the open road from the comfort of your screen. Watch these road trip docs now for free!
For more information about the selections, see my Indiewire article.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Indiewire @ Hulu Docs, Recommendations
Coming to ESPN as part of their Nine for IX series tomorrow, Tuesday, July 23: NO LIMITS
Alison Ellwood’s investigation into a dark episode in the world of competitive free-diving made its debut at Tribeca this Spring. The film was commissioned by ESPN for its women-directed, women in sports doc series, an offshoot of the network’s popular 30 for 30 doc brand.
I included the doc in my Tribeca coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 23: THE JEFFREY DAHMER FILES
Chris James Thompson’s look at the Milwaukee serial killer made its debut at SXSW last year. It went on to screen at Hot Docs, BFI London, Maryland, IFF Boston, Sidewalk, and Milwaukee, among others, before a theatrical and VOD release.
I previously wrote about the doc out of SXSW here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Releases
Coming to HBO this Monday, July 22: THE CHESHIRE MURDERS
Kate Davis and David Heilbroner’s investigation of a horrific Connecticut triple murder is making its debut as part of the cable channel’s acclaimed Summer Docs series.
Nearly fifty years after the shocking murder of the Clutter family in Kansas, the inspiration for Truman Capote’s IN COLD BLOOD, residents of Cheshire CT were faced with a similar crime. The victims in this case were the Petit family – mother Jennifer, 11-year-old Michaela, and 17-year-old Hayley – raped and murdered by strangers during a home invasion which ended in arson. The only survivor was father William, who was badly beaten but managed to escape his captors. After the perpetrators were arrested, the shocking brutality of the crime sparked outrage and renewed debate about the viability of the death penalty. Davis and Heilbroner delve deeply into the case, providing a comprehensive, and riveting, account of what happened in the Petit home and, disturbingly, why help failed to come, even though authorities had been alerted to the danger they were facing. Interviews with individuals directly and indirectly connected to the crime attempt to make sense of the perpetrators’ actions – why they targeted the family, what motivated their unthinkable assault, and why they turned to murder. While this in-depth exploration proves fascinating, if decidedly unsettling, the filmmakers use the incident to explore its larger implications on the controversial topic of capital punishment, smartly blending true crime with the complexity of social justice in a case where the undeniably guilty defendants could hope for little sympathy.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to PBS’s POV this Monday, July 22: HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE
Stephen Maing’s look at the work of two of China’s citizen reporters had its premiere last year at Tribeca. Additional festival exposure followed at Hot Docs, Sydney, DocAviv, One World, CPH:DOX, Sheffield, Woods Hole, and the IFF Boston, among others. The doc has already enjoyed a limited theatrical and VOD release.
I wrote about the film out of Tribeca here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films this Friday, July 19: I HATE MYSELF :)
Joanna Arnow’s study of a bad relationship and worse decisions makes its official world premiere at Rooftop Films. It held a sneak preview screening at the LES* Film Festival last month, where it picked up an audience award.
Arnow, an insecure, somewhat-hipster 20something filmmaker, is sort of dating James, an obnoxious, intentionally insensitive poet who runs a cafe/performance space in Harlem. Possessed of an outsized personality that more than makes up for Arnow’s meekness, James deliberately provokes and alienates his patrons with racially charged language, and treats her like an afterthought. Her seemingly natural response – to film their “relationship” as a means to determine if she really should be with this abrasive asshole – gives this unusual project its shape and purpose. For her part, Arnow comes off as needy and annoying, yet possessed of a self-critical eye that forces viewers to wonder if she’s being impossibly candid and vulnerable, or instead has carefully calculated a persona that calls into question if this is fiction, nonfiction, or something inbetween – signaled by the film’s titular smileyface. Arnow’s complex approach to self-portraiture (or self-caricature?) comes to the fore in her interactions with her parents, who she forces to watch incredibly uncomfortable, sexually explicit footage, angering them enough to launch into a brilliant criticism of their daughter. Unlike any other figures in the film – such as Arnow’s friend/editor, appearing naked for no discernible reason – her parents leave a stark impression, precisely because they appear sane and have normal responses to untoward behavior. Independently mining similar terrain as Lena Dunham’s GIRLS, but with a decidedly blunter edge, Arnow has crafted a grotesquely compelling, if often perplexing and undeniably self-indulgent, self-portrait of young adulthood.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema this Friday, July 19: THE ACT OF KILLING
Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn, and their anonymous collaborators chilling look at Indonesia’s genocidal past debuted at Telluride and Toronto this past Fall. The well-traveled doc has picked up numerous awards on the fest circuit, including at Berlin, CPH:DOX, Sheffield, Planete+ Doc, Documenta Madrid, Biografilm, and DocsBarcelona. It opens in Los Angeles and Washington DC next weekend, and expands throughout the country in August.
I included the doc in my Toronto coverage here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, July 16: AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART
Sylvia Caminer’s look at devoted Rick Springfield fans had its world premiere at the Florida Film Festival, where it picked up a special jury prize. It went on to win awards at Nashville, Sidewalk, and Boston, and also screened at IDFA, Hot Docs, Hot Springs, Sound Unseen, and Planete+ Doc, among others, before its theatrical release last Fall.
Wearing its hagiographic intentions on its sleeves, Caminer’s film unabashedly celebrates the 1980s pop star who famously sang the catchy “Jessie’s Girl” and appeared on GENERAL HOSPITAL. He’s an affable figure, consistently maintaining an active performance schedule in the intervening decades, thanks in large part to, Caminer demonstrates, the obsessive loyalty of his legion of fans. Ultimately, this is what makes her film worthwhile – for, despite its attempts to address Springfield’s history (including, to be fair, some of his missteps or moral failings), he could almost be any once huge but somewhat diminished celebrity – perhaps explaining the odd presence of former teen heartthrob Corey Feldman as an interviewee in the proceedings. What’s really at its core is a look at celebrity fandom, both a cause for inspiration and obsession in equal measures. While it steers clear of the pathological kind of fandom found in the excellent Tiffany fan doc I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW, Caminer’s film profiles Springfield superfans, some who have been following him for decades, from middle-aged housewives taking girls’ weekends to attend his concerts to a teenager who has been regularly jamming with his idol ever since he was first pulled onstage as a toddler, or, hitting more serious notes, a woman who used a Springfield album to recover from life-threatening surgery, and a minister who gained strength to resist suicide through his music. These ordinary people elevate the project from charges of being a puff piece, speaking instead to the relationship between celebrity and fan, and celebrating it in an entertaining, if generally light, manner.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres this Friday, July 19: BLACKFISH
Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s searing exposé of orca captivity debuted earlier this year at Sundance. Other fest screenings have included Sarasota, Seattle, Vancouver, Provincetown, Nantucket, AFI Docs, Miami, Moscow, Melbourne, and Sydney, among others.
My pre-Sundance profile of the doc may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, July 16: BIDDER 70
Beth and George Gage’s look at one man’s act of defiance debuted at last year’s Mountainfilm in Telluride. Its festival run has included Cleveland, Human Rights Watch, Traverse City, Cine Montana, and several environmental events. It enjoyed a limited theatrical release this past May.
I wrote about the doc upon its release here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
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