Category Archives: Releases

Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 12:
MOSUL

Director:
Daniel Gabriel

Premiere:
Cleveland 2019

About:
The diverse coalition of anti-ISIS forces fighting to free Mosul is viewed through the eyes of an Iraqi journalist.

Daniel Gabriel’s film chronicles the liberation of Mosul from ISIS/Daesh in 2016-2017 as seen by journalist Ali Maula, who serves here as a too-frequent narrator, while the latter heads north along the Tigris, meeting various members of the surprisingly diverse but tenuous coalition of Iraqi fighters trying to win back their freedom, and frequent worrying about the sectarian divisions that will likely continue the violence regardless. The doc profiles several of the coalition leaders, from outspoken Sunni tribal leaders and commanders (including a female Sunni militia commander who lost her own husband to battle) to an Iraqi Army Special Ops commander, a Kurdish Pershmerga fighter, and a Christian soldier. As Maula follows the combat, bringing some sense of normalcy to cleared areas, his crew speaks to civilians and soldiers as they struggle with PTSD and the trauma of war, but perhaps the most chilling interview is with an ISIS detainee, who appears in silhouette and speaks ominously about the long-lasting impact of radical Islamic ideology which he claims will win out in the end. While addressing a complex and compelling subject, the film suffers from the approach taken, with Maula’s centrality lending the project a TV feel and the mix of profiles and ridealongs resulting in a disjointed effort as a whole.

Coming to theatres today, Friday, April 12:
THE MOST DANGEROUS YEAR

Director:
Vlada Knowlton

Premiere:
Seattle 2018

Select Festivals:
St Louis, Rhode Island, Newburyport Doc, Atlanta Doc, Kansas, Portland

About:
The parents of trans kids fight against discriminatory legislation in Washington State.

The titular time covered in Knowlton’s project is 2016, which the Human Rights Campaign noted due to the disturbingly regressive spate of bills put forward in state legislatures to target transgender individuals. Colloquially known as “bathroom bills,” this legislation attempted to force individuals to use public bathrooms that corresponded to their biological/birth gender, using unfounded fears of infiltration of women’s bathrooms by perverts or rapists to trigger popular support. The film focuses on such a bill proposed in Washington, and the impact it has on families with transgender children, like the director’s. Knowlton, who unfortunately chose to (over)narrate here, profiles her own daughter and the latter’s struggle to be accepted as a girl as one of the film’s featured stories. While doing an adequate enough job of highlighting the issues unfairly facing trans people, this well-meaning but very basic production struggles to stand out.

New to VOD this week:
FATHERS OF FOOTBALL

Director:
Bradley Beesley

Premiere:
Austin 2018

Select Festivals:
deadCenter, SF IndieFest

About:
A portrait of an Oklahoma high school football coach as he tries to take his team back to the championships.

As in many towns across America, football is something close to a religion in Wagoner OK. The local high school team, the Bulldogs, have held the state’s longest winning streak, and many credit coach Dale Condict for this achievement. Serving as mentor and father figure to the young men on the team, Condict helps his charges succeed on the field, recognizing that football may be their best chance to further their education. The film follows the coach and his players as they set out to win their third consecutive state championship, but the year is fraught with setbacks, most notably the health of Condict’s own son, a member of the team, who faces testicular cancer. While director Bradley Beesley clearly has affection for his subjects and the community as a whole, this generally well-made film treads ground very familiar from countless other small town football docs without really distinguishing itself in any major ways.

Coming to PBS’s American Masters this Friday, April 12:
JOSEPH PULITZER: VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Director:
Oren Rudavsky

Premiere:
Mill Valley 2018

Select Festivals:
Cleveland, Hot Springs Doc, Thin Line, Sedona, Sebastopol Doc, Atlanta Jewish, New York Jewish

About:
The rags-to-riches story of the Hungarian immigrant turned American media giant.

I previously wrote about the doc here.