Hot Docs 2012: ‘Meet the Fokkens’ offers a charming, unusual personal narrative
Meet the Fokkens Written by Gabrielle Provaas and Rob Schröder Directed by Gabrielle Provaas Netherlands, 2011 There is a long tradition in documentary film of personalizing unusual individuals. In fact the entire genre of first-person narrative documentary has largely revolved around finding people and stories that are unusual, even openly odd, and seeking to provide the viewer with some insight into their character and behavior. Another genre, what I like to call Freakumentaries, finds weird people and exploits them for the entertainment of their audience, providing little else beyond voyeurism. In describing Meet the Fokkens, a film about two elderly… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘The Ambassador’ a brave, darkly funny exposé
The Ambassador Written by Mads Brügger and Maja Jul Larsen Directed by Mads Brügger Denmark, 2011 As strange as it might sound to some people, documentary filmmakers are often exceptionally brave individuals. They are people who are at least willing to ask honest, probing questions of their subjects and at most are willing to do it in dangerous, even life-threatening circumstances. In many cases their willingness to document and expose, even at risk to themselves, has defined our perspective and shaped how we see certain issues. In The Ambassador, director and star Mads Brügger puts himself at greater risk, perhaps… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘The Job’ is resonant, wry, and unexpected
The Job Directed by Didier Cros 2012, France, 94 minutes An audience watching The Job may be forgiven if they think, at first, that this documentary is about an elaborate practical joke. Ten job seekers engage five interrogators in a two-day group interview that involves absurd role-playing situations, questionable personality tests, and increasingly hostile questions, all for an unknown company and barely outlined job described only as ‘sales, with a managerial component’. But it isn’t a joke. The film isn’t Borat. As it turns out, real life is just more absurd than satire. The film blends documentary with a reality… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry’ overshadowed by its subject
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Written by Alison Klayman Directed by Alison Klayman USA, 2012 A good documentary requires a good subject but can sometimes be overwhelmed by a great one. Such is the blessing and problem facing Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. The film follows Weiwei, an acclaimed counter-cultural Chinese artist, as well known for his activism as he is for his photographic and installation art. First-time film maker Alison Klayman met the iconic artist four years ago and began filming and photographing him as he embarked on a series of high-profile artistic critiques of the Chinese Government. During her time… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘The Invisible War’ is eloquent, bold, and devastating
The Invisible War Directed by Kirby Dick 2012, USA, 93 minutes Kirby Dick’s latest investigative documentary begins with a simple title card stating that all statistics used in The Invisible War come from the US government. The move is bold, effective, and sets a sharp tone. So clear is the crime, so large is the epidemic of rape in the US military, that the US government can’t even contest the main weapon The Invisible War wields to condemn them. To sit in the theatre and watch The Invisible War is to be inundated. Story after story of recruits raped is… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘Herman’s House’ a deeply moving account of penitentiary life
Herman’s House Directed by Angad Singh Bhalla Canada, 2012 Today is April 24th 2012. Last week marked the 40th anniversary of Herman Wallace’s initiation to a punitive epoch in solitary confinement. This commemoration is made even more lamentable when we learn that he’s been there ever since. In a documentary shot over five years, Toronto filmmaker, Angad Singh Bhalla, tells the story of Jackie Sumell, an American artist looking to give Wallace a small semblance of life and humanity. At times an intricate political statement and at others a torrid character study, Herman’s House is a contemplative look into the… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘The World Before Her’ is essential viewing at this year’s festival
The World Before Her Directed by Nisha Pahuja 2012, Canada, 90 minutes Consider director Nisha Pahuja a master of the loaded title. ‘The World’ is India, a billon strong, chaotically democratic, and torn between modernity and tradition. ‘Before’ is the most ambiguous word of the title—is it that the world exists prior to her, that the world is laid out in front of her, or that the world exists to be changed by her? Finally, ‘Her’. Ostensibly, the two sets of women featured in this documentary are radically different: twenty contestants in the Miss India pageant versus a group… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘Buzkashi!’ is almost as unscrupulous as its antagonist
Buzkashi! Directed by Najeeb Mirza Canada, 2012 For centuries, shepherds in Central Asia have been driving their flock to greener pastures under the constant threat of attacking wolves. To protect their herd, men on horseback would chase the wolves, and pick them right off the ground. Over time, this practice evolved into a sport, where the object of the game is to capture a goat carcass and carry it across a goal line. A catholic mix of polo, rugby and horseback Quidditch, the sport, and Najeeb Mirza’s documentary, is called Buzkashi!. To profile this arcane sport, we are introduced to… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘Big Boys Gone Bananas!’; Episode Two – Fredrik Gertten Strikes Back
Big Boys Gone Bananas! Directed by Fredrik Gertten Sweden, 2011 Not so long ago in a country not so far, far away… A Swedish journalist publishes a fiery polemic against a large, multi-national corporation. In response, said corporation successfully alleges fraud, effectively burying his work and blacklisting him from various media and journalistic syndications. To try and clear his name, the journalist embarks on a crusade against his own crusade, hoping to regain his own credibility, while trying to discredit the claims of his accusers. You’ve heard of this story before. But this is not Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘China Heavyweight’ is an emotional contender
China Heavyweight Directed by Yung Chang Canada, 2012 In 1959, Chairman Mao banned Western-style boxing for being too American and too violent. Thirty years later, the ban was lifted. Although symptomatic of China’s ameliorating progress, Canadian director Yung Chang, in his documentary, China Heavyweight, exhibits how the country has yet to purge itself of Mao’s irreparable social and economic legacies. The film documents the story of two teenagers in rural Sichuan, China, hoping to become the next big thing in international boxing. Coached by the dedicated Qi Moxiang, they try to rise through the amateur level in order to become… Read more
Hot Docs 2012: ‘Beauty is Embarrassing’ is neither
Beauty is Embarrassing Directed by Neil Berkeley USA, 2012 Chances are, you haven’t heard of Wayne White. Quiet and unassuming, White could go for a walk in downtown Los Angeles and be completely inconspicuous to the artistic layman, but chances are, you’ve seen his work. Whether it be on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, or a Smashing Pumpkins music video, White’s various contributions to influential projects from the 80’s onward have solidified his status as an accomplished art director, painter, cartoonist, and illustrator. So it’s a shame, really, when Neil Berkeley’s documentary, Beauty is Embarrassing, doesn’t do him much justice. Through Berkeley, we… Read more
Hot Docs 2011: No Entry No Exit
No Entry No Exit Directed by Marelle Klein and Julie Kreuzer 2011, Germany, 82 mins. This is the trouble with fairness: nobody can agree exactly on what is fair. This is the disagreement at the crux of No Entry No Exit. German authorities release convicted rapist Karl D into the custody of his brother, Helmut, because they believe the seventeen years he spent behind bars is fair. Helmut’s neighbours begin a protest, because they believe that this is unfair. This is the point where things spill out of control – and where the audience has trouble deciding where they stand…. Read more
