Rodney Roldan’s 41-minute documentary, Country and Courage, is intended as a tribute to American military veterans on the occasion of Veterans Day. Featuring four soldiers, two veterans and two in active service, the film attempts to raise awareness about military life and the aftermath, mainly tackling PTSD. It uses Shakespeare to drive the narrative forward,… Continue reading Country and Courage: On The Lives And Histories Of U.S. Veterans
Tag: Documentary
Échale Ganas: Documentary Of Survival, Success And Family
Like the man himself, Échale Ganas: The Villa’s Taco Story is bursting with energy. The 30-minute documentary following Victor Villa and his pop-up taco stand, directed by Yumeng He, is as much about food as it is about home, and as much about entrepreneurship as about building community. Tying it all together is systemic inequality,… Continue reading Échale Ganas: Documentary Of Survival, Success And Family
C L I N C H: An Honest Recording Of Uncertainty
Of the many lives the pandemic derailed, Fred Ouro Preto’ film C L I N C H documents the lives of four athletes, forced to shelve their careers, quarantine in their gym, and together battle the uncertainty of a crisis without an end date. The fighters—Jefferson “Barba” Luan, Guilherme Senegal, Josué Neto, Erick “Sorriso” Washington,… Continue reading C L I N C H: An Honest Recording Of Uncertainty
The Doll: Why A Child Sees Marriage As Escape
Elahe Esmaili’s 33-minute documentary, The Doll, on the deliberations and uncertainty over the marriage of a 14-year old Iranian girl is a gripping film with an uncanny ability to be subtle and maintain restraint, and yet pose questions for its subjects and its audience. This leads to fascinating character studies, as well as the depiction of… Continue reading The Doll: Why A Child Sees Marriage As Escape
Always Fast, Hardly Accurate: A Love Letter To Punk
Shot over a mere two days, Always Fast, Hardly Accurate, Milton’s documentary about the punk scene in New York, glows with palpable affection—both between the people in it, and the filmmakers. The 24-minute film focuses especially on the female-led Flasyd, but is also nestled between the stories and works of other punk bands, sharing between them lively, eccentric friendships.… Continue reading Always Fast, Hardly Accurate: A Love Letter To Punk
Sleepwalker: A Documentary Of Regret
Sleepwalker, Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung’s 9-minute documentary on the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan, is a very personal essay that examines the fear and grief of having a home in turmoil. But what makes it particularly personal and specific is Chung’s regret at having sleepwalked through the period, thriving in the safety of her insulated world. This regret becomes the… Continue reading Sleepwalker: A Documentary Of Regret
Point Symmetry: The Aftermath Of Hate
The 16-minute documentary, Point Symmetry does something unusual: it highlights the experience of a daughter confronting the legacy of having a Nazi father. Directed and shot by Anna Panova, this is one half of a film that tells two parallel stories, starting off on extreme opposites, finally meeting, decades later, at a common point: hurt… Continue reading Point Symmetry: The Aftermath Of Hate
Yesteryear: A Nostalgic Source Of Comfort During Trying Times
Photos, homemade videos have a distinct vibe to them. Regardless of whose ever it is, the grainy film, sepia-toned images carry a charm of a bygone era and time that warm our hearts. Nostalgia is what we turn to when reality becomes too much to bear. And in Chris Esper’s 13:52-minute documentary, we do precisely… Continue reading Yesteryear: A Nostalgic Source Of Comfort During Trying Times
Geronimo: Circus Trash Monster: On The Joys Of Bringing Together A Community
Colleen Brady’s Part 2 of the two-part documentary, Geronimo, this time titled Circus Trash Monster (read our review of Part 1, In Flight here), is an improvement on the first. Here, Brady has mastered serenity. The 8-minute film boasts the same soothing score as its sister, only here the narrative has better flow and balance,… Continue reading Geronimo: Circus Trash Monster: On The Joys Of Bringing Together A Community
I AM: Strong Tribute To Pioneering Queer Artists
Art, in its purest form, has always been the space of liberation, whether that is personal, social, or political. Many would argue that these are inherently intertwined. For the subjects of Laura Arten’s documentary on queer artists, I AM, this is certainly demonstrated. The 26-minute documentary delves into and celebrates the lives and work of… Continue reading I AM: Strong Tribute To Pioneering Queer Artists