what (not) to doc

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 27:
BUGS

Director:
Andreas Johnsen

Premiere:
Tribeca 2016

Select Festivals:
Edinburgh, Seattle, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, Melbourne, Reykjavik, Denver, Vlnius

About:
A global insect-eating expedition seeks new sources of food for the world.

Motivated by predictions of the need for ramped up food production to sustain an estimated world population of nine billion people by 2050, the Nordic Food Labs are on a quest to make insects palatable to Western audiences. Its head chef, Ben Reade, and lead researcher, Josh Evans, travel around the world to source sustainable, fair, and tasty bugs. Johnsen follows them as they dig up all manner of larvae, termites, and bees and serve as guides to the likely squirming viewer. While largely an informative but somewhat food adventure television-stylized survey for most of its run time, the film becomes more intriguing as Reade and Evans grow somewhat disillusioned, recognizing the market forces which seem sure to undercut their hopes for economic fairness and sustainability.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Wednesday, September 27:
I AM ANOTHER YOU

Director:
Nanfu Wang

Premiere:
SXSW 2017

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, BAMcinemaFest, Ashland, Cleveland

About:
What begins as a portrait of a seemingly carefree young drifter becomes something more complex.

Finding a kindred spirit in their mutual love of travel, Chinese filmmaker Nanfu Wang befriends Dylan, a charismatic homeless 22-year-old, during a trip to Florida. Intrigued by the handsome young man’s free spirit, Wang starts filming him, all the while trying to make sense of his decision to leave behind a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle to live on the streets and beg for food. Even after they have a falling out, Wang seeks the truth, and what she finds out – through Dylan’s father – forces her, and her audience, to re-evaluate their initial impressions of Dylan. While it’s debatable whether Wang herself needed to insert herself into the film’s storytelling approach, she deftly upends expectations in the film’s stronger second part.

Coming to PBS’s America ReFramed tomorrow, Tuesday, September 26:
WE BREATHE AGAIN

Director:
Marsh Chamberlain

Premiere:
Alaska (May 2017)

About:
An exploration of the epidemic of suicide among Alaskan Native peoples.

Chamberlain’s film profiles four individuals personally impacted by suicide, a once rare occurrence among the Native people of Alaska, but which now is a leading cause of death, appearing nearly four times the national average. The experiences of an elder like Keggulluk address the consequences of colonial and racist policies like boarding schools intended to split up Native families and destroy culture and language, while the pervasiveness of intergenerational trauma is reflected in younger figures like Eddie, a young father determined to break cyclical patterns of abuse and pain. In speaking out about the taboo topic of suicide, they and the other subjects demonstrate the resilience and hope needed to help curb its devastating toll on their people.

Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, September 22:
BOBBI JENE

Director:
Elvira Lind

Premiere:
Tribeca 2017

Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Camden, Docaviv, Docs Against Gravity, Biografilm, Melbourne, Helsinki

About:
An American dancer leaves a position with Israel’s premier dance company to return to the US to begin a solo career.

Bobbi Jene left Juilliard to join Ohad Naharin’s internationally acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv a decade ago. On the eve of turning 30, she makes the difficult decision to move on, sharing the news that she’s relocating to San Francisco with both her mentor (and past lover), Naharin, and her current partner, Or. The latter, a fellow dancer ten years her junior, agrees to maintain a long-distance relationship, though it’s increasingly clear Bobbi Jene wants him to come to America. Lind keeps the focus on Bobbie Jene as she starts over in the Bay Area, teaching and working on a very personal, vulnerable, and sexually-charged piece that is shown in snippets here. While praised by friends and fellow dancers as revelatory, viewers not particularly attuned to modern dance may be left scratching their heads at what all the fuss is about. Similarly, while the handsomely shot observational film itself has clearly resonated with some for its intimacy, claiming multiple accolades upon its debut, it frankly doesn’t feel that particularly different from other portraits of young artists and their creative process.