what (not) to doc

Coming to VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21:
LOS VIEJOS (THE OLDIES)

Director:
Rosana Matecki

Premiere:
Guadalajara 2018

Select Festivals:
New Orleans, Miami, MICGénero, Boston Latino, DC Caribbean, Belize, DOK.Fest Munich, Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano

About:
A portrait of three elderly Cuban musicians.

Set in Santa Clara, Rosana Matecki’s warm film follows three aging musicians as they contend with the realities of aging on their bodies while reflecting on their past and the key role music played in their lives. As subjects Zaida, Candido, and Bringuez continue to stay active, performing their traditional Cuban music as best they can, they demonstrate a passion that defies age and that allows them to face the change that comes with each day. At the same time, the project serves as a thematic meditation on Cuba itself, where the long-standing embargo from the US has resulted in a kind of cultural time warp of sorts, and, at least for a moment, appeared to be poised for radical change before the current US presidential administration’s regressive policies.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens tonight, Monday, May 20:
WRESTLE

Director:
Suzannah Herbert

Co-Director:
Lauren Belfer

Premiere:
San Francisco 2018

About:
An intimate look at a Huntsville AL high school wrestling team.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

New to VOD this week:
VENUS

Directors:
Mette Carla Albrechtsen and Lea Glob

Premiere:
IDFA 2016

Select Festivals:
True/False, Sheffield, DocPoint, Thessaloniki Doc, Göteborg, DOXBIO, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Sao Paulo

About:
100 women are surveyed about their sexual experiences.

Danish filmmakers Mette Carla Albrechtsen and Lea Glob set out to explore perceptions about female sexuality in their country by announcing an open casting call for women to participate as interview subjects in their project. The film features the various women who show up, walk into the frame, and are interviewed by Albrechtsen and Glob. Questions range from fairly basic to probing – even confrontational – interrogations about virginity, first or uncomfortable sexual experiences, body image issues, and the like, resulting in a kind of riff of the casting couch. The filmmakers even ask if their subjects are willing to pose naked for the camera. The result is a surprisingly engaging and vulnerable study of not only female sexuality, but of the give and take between filmmaker and subject.

Coming to OVID this Sunday, May 19:
HOW TO LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY

Director:
Therese Shechter

Premiere:
Jihlava 2013

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Cucalorus, St John’s International Women

About:
A personal exploration of the elusive concept of purity.

I previously wrote about the doc here.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, May 17:
WALKING ON WATER

Director:
Andrey Paounov

Premiere:
Locarno 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Toronto, Docudays UA

About:
A behind the scenes look at Christo’s long-gestating Floating Piers project.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
For decades Christo and Jeanne-Claude dazzled art lovers with their epic installation projects, such as The Gates in Central Park. Seven years after the death of Jeanne-Claude, the larger-than-life Christo finally realizes a long-planned project, The Floating Piers. Mounted in 2016 on Italy’s Lake Iseo, the mammoth undertaking allows visitors to walk across a great stretch of water. Once again, witnessing the realization of Christo’s vision feels like watching a real-life miracle.

Coming to Fuse this Saturday, May 18:
I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY

Director:
Jessica Leski

Premiere:
Hot Docs 2018

Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Sydney, Revelation Perth, Melbourne, Fantastic Fest, Adelaide, London, Hawaii, Göteborg, Rotterdam, Miami, Santa Barbara, Cleveland, Istanbul

About:
A look at boyband superfans.

The film screened as part of DOC NYC, for which our program notes read:
New Kids on the Block, N*Sync, One Direction, and, of course, The Beatles: Bands with big hair, bigger personalities and the ubiquitous screaming fangirls. Jessica Leski’s entertaining film profiles these ardent fans, charming groupies who find joy in their devotion. Whimsical and lustrous, the film explores the complexity of social media relationships and the gray line between passion and obsession. At its core the story is a celebration of music as a universal language, one that unites frantic fans and provides a sense of belonging.