poweroftheriver Reviews

Last Day of Freedom (2015)

sparks both empathy and outrage ... an important and memorable film

[8/10 · 10 December 2015]

This film just won the International Documentary Association (IDA)'s best short film of the year award for 2015. I had the pleasure of reviewing all nominees for that award: it was a tough competition from very diverse films, all extremely accomplished examples of great documentary storytelling.

Last Day of Freedom is emotionally powerful and moving: it sparks both empathy and outrage. The animation is personal and raw, likely making the subject more accessible to broader audiences than a conventionally filmed documentary. I felt shades of great radio programs and podcasts like "This American Life" or "StoryCorps." I personally wished for a little more polish to the animations, some of which felt rushed, unfinished, or sloppy ... but then again that style gave the story an urgency and an edge, so I suspect it was very intentional. This is a story that is important and memorable: nicely done!

Body Team 12 (2015)

uplifting in the face of immense tragedy and hardship - a triumph

[9/10 · 10 December 2015]

Tribeca award winner Body Team 12 was one of my top three films nominated for the International Documentary Association (IDA)'s best short film of the year. The courage required to capture this story at the center of an ebola outbreak is almost inconceivable. Not only did the filmmakers rise to the occasion to 'get the goods' for their story, they managed to capture quiet, soulful moments that enriched the film. The overall effect is uplifting in the face of immense tragedy and hardship--a stunning feat.

This is not mere journalistic storytelling, but something more artful. Watch for visual themes and motifs, subtly textured into the edit, that emphasize the spiritual and earthly sacrifice these brave workers are making for their fellow human beings. Hauntingly beautiful, terrifyingly real.

Autism in Love (2015)

Excellent diversity of characters ... the film attempts to bridge seemingly irreconcilable forces of love and autism

[9/10 · 10 December 2015]

The film opens with definitions of autism and of love that seem utterly at odds. Then the title 'Autism in Love' appears between them, an attempt to bridge seemingly irreconcilable forces.

I had the pleasure of seeing Matt Fuller's excellent film through a PBS 'Indie Lens Pop-Up' screening here in our little community. It sparked enthusiastic conversation from people in the crowd. The film successfully bridged education, inspiration, and entertainment. It let us into the lives of a surprising variety of people on the autism spectrum, giving us an intimate sense of their struggles and their triumphs.

I really appreciated the diversity of ages and life stories of the three main sets of characters. There's Lenny, a troubled young man who confronts the challenges of finding love with adolescent fire. Then there are Lindsey and Dave, a couple in their 30s bravely grappling with what might be a sustainable romantic relationship--if they can live with the extra set of challenges autism brings to the eternal dance of male versus female energy. And finally Stephen, who faces a later chapter in his life than the other characters, has found the love of his life ... only to confront her terminal illness.

Through each set of characters we see a unique human story: different steps on different paths toward love. But woven together, their stories provide a wonderful lens into the universal challenge of finding and sustaining love. Viewers must watch carefully but they will be rewarded with evidence that all of these characters, against the obstacles of their autism, are able to feel, live, long, and love like anyone else on this planet.

Fuller does a nice job of capturing and sharing the story with well-crafted camera-work and editing. One quiet scene that sticks in my mind is Lindsey, gliding alone up an escalator while a crowd of presumably "neurotypical" people make their way down a broken escalator in the background. That's an example of the rewards of watching this film closely for its subtle, elegant moments.

The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul (2015)

My favorite of all the IDA nominees for best short documentary of the year

[9/10 · 10 December 2015]

Kitty Green's The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul engaged my interest in a subject and topic I wouldn't have otherwise explored. That felt like a noble feat for a documentary film. The film surprised me with its elegantly simple staging, costumes, camera-work, and editing. I wasn't predisposed to like this film and in fact found myself expecting to be yawning ... but the pacing and gradual evolution of the story through its characters gripped me throughout.

This ingenious concept focused my attention on the story and message, as told through unexpected (but extremely appropriate) characters. We learn of a country-- its past traumas and its future dreams--through its next generation. Brilliantly conceived and executed.

Object (2015)

I was swept into the sensual experience

[9/10 · 10 December 2015]

I loved how I was swept into the sensual experience, how this felt like a suspenseful mystery unfolding. It heightened my sensitivity and attention as a viewer, an awesome feat for such an elegantly simple film. The cinematography, sound design, and gradual revelations of the editing all converged to intrigue me and hold my interest.

I feel like the education offered by this film is comparable, if not transcendent to, documentary filmmaking that is more didactic or pedantic. We didn't need narration, back story, statistics, location, character names, or even dialogue. In this film, we learn largely by observing carefully and by drawing our own conclusions. Bravo!

Strong! (2012)

The filmmakers invested some powerful inspiration in telling this tale

[9/10 · 2 October 2015]

Julie Wyman has crafted an elegant film on three-time Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Haworth. The University of California's Institute for Research in the Arts calls it an "experimental documentary film," but to me it's just a very well honed telling of an amazing story about an extraordinary woman.

Cheryl Haworth is a documentarian's dream: a true character who appears to need no screenwriter's embellishment. She comes across with warm humor and genuine determination. Her determination may not seem unusual for those who follow great athletes, but her humanity is something special.

The film depicts Cheryl as vulnerable as equally as she is a go-getter, and yet it all somehow avoids cliché (better than I can seem to manage in this review). Her story is a home run, a slam dunk, a sure thing (just to beat the dead cliché a little more). But what really fascinated me about the movie was the creative documentary techniques Julie Wyman employed.

Generally not one with qualms about revealing spoilers about forthcoming films, I'm actually loath to reveal too many of Julie's creative storytelling mechanisms as they really made the experience for me. And besides, I'll probably steal some of them for my own future documentaries.

Let me at least say that Julie and her team really thought this film through and invested some powerful inspiration into its telling. A very brief educational segment explained weightlifting more succinctly and appealingly than anything I've ever seen. The visual variety throughout the film, including what I can only describe as a love scene— or at least highly sensual foreplay— with a gold 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V, really carries viewers eagerly through the one-hour experience.