Category Archives: Recommendations

Coming to the JCC Manhattan tonight, Tuesday, May 22:
SPIRAL

Director:
Laura Fairrie

Premiere:
DOC NYC 2017

Select Festivals:
Washington DC Jewish, Montclair

About:
An exploration of the resurgence of Anti-Semitism in France.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, and physical and verbal assaults against Jews are on the rise throughout Europe, particularly in France. In response to rising tensions and fears, many in the Jewish community decide to leave. Others, like lawyer Julien, remain behind to fight back against those who would fan the flames of hate, like popular comedian Dieudonné, known for his signature inverted Nazi salute. Director Laura Fairrie presents an urgent, alarming look at the impact of this free reign of hatred on the lives of ordinary people.

Coming to HBO tonight, Monday, May 21:
THE FINAL YEAR

Director:
Greg Barker

Premiere:
Toronto 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, London, IDFA

About:
An inside look at US foreign policy in the last year of the Obama administration.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, May 18:
SAVING BRINTON

Directors:
Andrew Sherburne and Tommy Haines

Premiere:
AFI Docs 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Rotterdam, Thessaloniki Doc, Jeonju, BAFICI, Big Sky Doc, Hot Springs Doc, RiverRun, Julien Dubuque, Ashland, St Louis, Flyway, Anchorage

About:
A fascinating excavation of early film history and showmanship.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Years ago, local Iowa historian and eccentric collector Michael Zahs chanced upon a cache of early films and cinema memorabilia belonging to Frank Brinton, a showman who brought moving pictures to America’s heartland in the earliest years of the art form. Discovering that the collection includes rare treasures, including a lost Georges Méliès short, Zahs sets out on a mission to restore and preserve not only this work, but the fascinating legacy of Brinton himself.

Coming to PBS’s American Masters tomorrow, Friday, May 18:
BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY

Director:
Alexandra Dean

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Nantucket, Jerusalem, Vancouver, Woodstock, Adelaide

About:
The story of the glamorous Hollywood actress, focused on her groundbreaking work as an inventor.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 11 and to Starz on Monday, May 14:
WHAT HAUNTS US

Director:
Paige Goldberg Tolmach

Premiere:
Boston 2017

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Washington West, Boulder, Austin, Sedona

About:
A personal investigation into the reasons behind a string of suicides from the same school.

I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC’s program, saying:
Why are the men of Charleston SC’s Porter Gaud School killing themselves? Alarmed by the latest in a long-running series of suicides from her high school in 1979, filmmaker Paige Goldberg Tolmach returns to her hometown for answers. Stonewalled by administrators, she mines her own memories, and those of her former classmates, to uncover long-held secrets, revealing a disturbing cover-up centered around a popular teacher and sports coach.

New to VOD this week:
TOTO AND HIS SISTERS

Director:
Alexander Nanau

Premiere:
San Sebastian 2014

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Tribeca, Transilvania, Sarajevo, Camden, Flahertiana, Yamagata Doc, DOK.fest Munich, Dok Leipzig, Zurich, Warsaw, Stockholm, Vilnius

About:
In Bucharest, a pre-teen and his sisters cope with their mother’s imprisonment for drugs.

Taking a strictly observational approach, Nanau provides viewers with a remarkably intimate look at the lives of Roma siblings Toto (10), Andreea (14), and Ana (17). Though theoretically in the care of their uncles, the latter’s drug use has meant that the trio basically have been forced to raise themselves while their mother is serving out a seven-year drug sentence. Over the months covered in the film, young Toto seeks some sense of joy in an otherwise harrowing environment through his love of hip-hop dance, while middle sister Andreea takes up the slack in keeping him safe after eldest Ana seems fated to continue the dead end cycle of drugs. While never sugar-coating the bleak circumstances of this marginalized family, this exceptionally crafted film nevertheless is well able to demonstrate the younger children’s amazing resilience despite the uncertainty of their futures.