I've become somewhat obsessed with Documentaries of recent. A large proportion of my downtime (travel to-from work, time without my partner) are now dedicated to tracking down, watching and, almost more important to me, reading around the documentaries and their subject matter.
So, I'd love to hear some good recommendations of Docs you've seen recently. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is, I've been exposing myself to as many different styles and content-types and thus far have found surprisingly fascinating or emotionally satisfying material in the most obscure of places.
This weekend I have watched the following:
Nanking - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - Both an horrific story about 200,000 Chinese men, women and children killed by Japanese soldiers in 1939, and the 250,000 people saved by a group of American/European missionaries that attempted to create a safe zone for the city's residents. This was a fascinating piece of history told in a more innovative way than typically seen on documentaries, where the deceased parties were played by actors, reading from notes/letters left behind by them, adding performance into the mix. Still, the most emotional parts are those survivors recounting their survival of the genocide, plus some rather surprising interviews with surviving Japanese soldiers also.
The Internet's Own Boy - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3268458/?ref_=nv_sr_1 - I'll happily admit to having never heard of Aaron Swartz prior to watching the Doc, but even through simple news clips and poorly shot phone recordings of his talks, I became quickly wrapped up in his passion and intelligence. Anyone interested in Freedom of Speech on the internet, the access to public domain materials, or simply finding and pursuing a passion, should give this a watch.
Last Days in Vietnam - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3279124/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - One of the reasons I am pushing myself to watch as many different types of doc with as many different topics as possible is my general ignorance of history outside of Europe. My knowledge about Vietnam is almost completely limited to Hollywood films, so the Paris Peace Accords, the evacuation of South Vietnam and the further invasion by the North, were completely new pieces of information for me. The Doc interviews those who escaped, those who didn't and those who used every resource to hand (typically without authority) to evacuate 170,000 Vietnamese saving them from the incoming North. I found this to be a politically fascinating piece, coupled with a real emotional punch. This doc has pushed me to do some significant reading around the whole war, which frankly, to this Englishman, has always sat in the back of my mind mostly as "that war the Americans regret a lot".
Edit - forgot one:
The King of Kong - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0923752/?ref_=nv_sr_1 - Both very funny and fascinating David vs Goliath tale of the (oddly) close-knit and almost reductive group of hard core 1980's arcade gamers. One utterly unknown man tries to break into the group and challenge its apocryphal leader to a head to head for the crown of Donkey Kong champion. The doc never mocks or attempts to undermine the clique that has developed around these games (All white northern Americans, which is interesting), rather simply lets their personalities come through, whilst the underdog simply plucks away at attempting to achieve something for himself. Weird, uplifting and interesting look at video arcade aficionados that challenges what is "authenticity" and the pressure of being "number 1".
Hugo - Next up: Hoop Dreams. Looking forward to it.
So, I'd love to hear some good recommendations of Docs you've seen recently. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is, I've been exposing myself to as many different styles and content-types and thus far have found surprisingly fascinating or emotionally satisfying material in the most obscure of places.
This weekend I have watched the following:
Nanking - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - Both an horrific story about 200,000 Chinese men, women and children killed by Japanese soldiers in 1939, and the 250,000 people saved by a group of American/European missionaries that attempted to create a safe zone for the city's residents. This was a fascinating piece of history told in a more innovative way than typically seen on documentaries, where the deceased parties were played by actors, reading from notes/letters left behind by them, adding performance into the mix. Still, the most emotional parts are those survivors recounting their survival of the genocide, plus some rather surprising interviews with surviving Japanese soldiers also.
The Internet's Own Boy - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3268458/?ref_=nv_sr_1 - I'll happily admit to having never heard of Aaron Swartz prior to watching the Doc, but even through simple news clips and poorly shot phone recordings of his talks, I became quickly wrapped up in his passion and intelligence. Anyone interested in Freedom of Speech on the internet, the access to public domain materials, or simply finding and pursuing a passion, should give this a watch.
Last Days in Vietnam - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3279124/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 - One of the reasons I am pushing myself to watch as many different types of doc with as many different topics as possible is my general ignorance of history outside of Europe. My knowledge about Vietnam is almost completely limited to Hollywood films, so the Paris Peace Accords, the evacuation of South Vietnam and the further invasion by the North, were completely new pieces of information for me. The Doc interviews those who escaped, those who didn't and those who used every resource to hand (typically without authority) to evacuate 170,000 Vietnamese saving them from the incoming North. I found this to be a politically fascinating piece, coupled with a real emotional punch. This doc has pushed me to do some significant reading around the whole war, which frankly, to this Englishman, has always sat in the back of my mind mostly as "that war the Americans regret a lot".
Edit - forgot one:
The King of Kong - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0923752/?ref_=nv_sr_1 - Both very funny and fascinating David vs Goliath tale of the (oddly) close-knit and almost reductive group of hard core 1980's arcade gamers. One utterly unknown man tries to break into the group and challenge its apocryphal leader to a head to head for the crown of Donkey Kong champion. The doc never mocks or attempts to undermine the clique that has developed around these games (All white northern Americans, which is interesting), rather simply lets their personalities come through, whilst the underdog simply plucks away at attempting to achieve something for himself. Weird, uplifting and interesting look at video arcade aficionados that challenges what is "authenticity" and the pressure of being "number 1".
Hugo - Next up: Hoop Dreams. Looking forward to it.
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