Note: “What a Dump!” will be a regular attempt to keep ahead by dumping shorter reviews of a bunch of films when I might not have the time or inclination for a full review. In this case I’ve watched a handful of documentaries lately, so I’m lumping them together. Title ref is here.
Bill Cunningham New York (2010) --80/100--
Dir: Richard Press
I was caught off guard by how engaged I was by this biopic of legendary photographer Bill Cunningham, whose career following fashion has spanned decades. His own style and habits are very simple, a contradiction to the extravagance he documents on the catwalks and sidewalk. Even those for whom fashion is anathema might be drawn in by his quirks and charmed by his humility. Through a prolific, proficient use of photographic evidence, the doc fosters a deeper sense of the mutual evolution between style and media through the last half-century. Definitely worth a look.
Hell and Back Again (2011) --68/100--
Dir: Danfung Dennis
We begin with soldiers entering the fray in Afghanistan and it seems like we’re headed into a standard war doc, but there’s a flash right before the titles start when we’re given a glimpse of the harrowing battle still to come. The focus is Sgt. Nathan Harris and his struggles upon returning home following a gunshot wound to his leg.
There is plenty of intermediary “flashback” battle footage as he deals with the constant pain and medication and a whole different mountain of mental and emotional stresses. Of note, I found it a little funny that he gets really aggravated with people who constantly talk over or interrupt each other. I say that’s not really a symptom of war, those people are just really fucking annoying.
There are some artfully constructed scenes, some heartbreaking moments, and the in-the-field camerawork is startlingly clear, definitely the highlight. But for the most part the attempt to mix the home-front/warfront footage feels jumbled and indecisive. From a civilian view it is an interesting but common document of the true dual-battlefield existence of military life (I’m curious how well these types of films are received within that community.)
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011) --76/100--
Dirs: Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman
On the heels of effective recent eco-docs (The Cove, Gas Land, even Who Killed the Electric Car?), this follows the birth and downfall of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), an organization that fought against “environmental rapists” through the last 20 years by shifting the methods from peaceful protest to what has become known as “ecoterrorism,” destructive acts against lumber mills, feedlots, and other agro-corp interests. Through plentiful first-hand footage of protests (and a few sketchy dramatizations), and effective interviews with many involved on both sides of the story, this is a fascinating, surprisingly balanced chronicle.
The main issue at hand is whether the acts (over 1200, without a single injury, let alone death) constitute a form of “terrorism” that should be held on par with intentional acts of mass-murder (Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, etc.) This is all the more interesting in relation to well-publicized “cyber-terrorism” DOS attacks in the wake of the recent SOPA/PIPA debate. It’s hard to get away from buzzwords when dealing with these topics, but If a Tree Falls does a nice job of balancing the various sides of the issue, with ELF participants admitting to their crimes and even people in the law-enforcement community seeming to voice middle-ground opinions on the matter.
The Arbor (2010) --79/100--
Dir: Clio Barnard
This is ostensibly the life and legacy of writer Andrea Dunbar, whose plays “The Arbor,” “Rita, Sue & Bob, Too” and “A State Affair” showed the troubles facing working class people in her home community of Bradford, West Yorkshire. Andrea died young of a brain hemorrhage brought on by her hard lifestyle, so instead it is mostly the troublesome story of her daughters, Lorraine and Lisa, and their divergent sets of problems living within that type of community and still under the microscope of their mother’s work. Lorraine’s story, especially, is like an twisted accident from which you just can’t peel your eyes.
The real fascination, however, lies in the style of the documentary. Director Clio Bernard uses the audio from real-life interviews but reenacts scenes with professional actors (very-effectively) lip-synching the words from the audio track. Experimenting with the formula at times adds stunning artistic effect, but sometimes it gets stagey and tedious. There are also some clever remounts of scenes from Andrea’s work in the courtyard of the neighborhood. This adds up to a film that blurs the line between documentary and dramatization, and by upping the value of the production makes the case for a new category of artistry in non-fiction cinema.
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