The last of the 2015 Documentaries Winter on Fire, The Look of Silence and Racing Extinction

Regular readers may be tired of me saying this every time I review documentaries, but I really love that genre/class/type of movie, short or long form. It is very rare that I have watched a horrible documentary or a documentary that didn't teach, entertain or touch me in some way. All of the films below are nominated for an Oscar, although one is nominated for Best Song.

2/4/16 Racing Extinction, nominated for Best Song, 2015

All I could say after I watched Racing Extinction (and actually during) was "Wow". I was surprised that it was not nominated for Best Documentary or Best Cinematography, but it was nominated for Best Song "Manta Ray", but we'll get to that in a moment. Racing Extinction is about the human race's impending extinction, and as is pointed out, this extinction is man-made and could be prevented (there have been previous extinctions over the past hundreds of millions of years). Louie Psihoyos directed (he also directed the devastating Oscar-winner The Cove), and we learn about his passion for the ocean and the planet and all of its creatures. The first half or so of the movie shows us where sharks, whales and manta rays (among others) are being killed for food or folk medicine despite being endangered. Psihoyos and his team do much of the filming undercover because the people they are filming are engaging in illegal acts, or at best, questionable acts and methods. Some of the footage is quite disturbing, Psihoyos doesn't hold back or sugarcoat anything, and I only mention it because I think this is an important film for kids (maybe 12 and older) to see, it was a Discovery Channel film, and I assume it was shown on there for all to watch. The second half of the film is about how Psihoyos wants to present all of this information, which has been beautifully filmed, to an audience. He doesn't take a traditional or straightforward approach. He brings in an expert on visual displays and what they come up with is stunning, it involves portable/movable projectors, moving through the streets of New York City. You really have to see it to believe it. The movie ends on an optimistic note and the belief that the human race can prevent this race to the edge of the cliff. I would recommend the movie for families to watch together, I think you could have some good conversations, just be aware that there are some gruesome bits early in the movie. This was not nominated for Best Documentary, but Best Song. There was a really great song towards the end "One Candle" featuring Sia, but that wasn't nominated. "Manta Ray" was awful, and I don't understand the nomination at all. Thankfully it was at the end and I could end the movie. Please watch this movie.

2/4/16  The Look of Silence, nominated for Best Documentary, 2015

I was really leery of this movie when it was nominated because it is the companion piece to a nominee from 2012 that I absolutely despised, The Act of Killing, which featured individuals talking about their roles in the mass killings that occurred in Indonesia in the 1960s. It seemed grotesque and I could hardly watch it. The Look of Silence focuses on a middle aged man whose brother was one of those murdered during those killings. The man (who is not identified for his safety) goes around his village fitting people for glasses, and he begins asking questions about the time of the killings, did people really think those who were killed were Communists, etc. It's often uncomfortable, probably even more so because he is very soft-spoken and polite, but determined to learn about the past and his dead brother. His parents are elderly, his father is barely coherent and his mother takes care of him, and still grieves for her son who was murdered 45 years ago. What is frustrating, probably more so for the young man, is that even as some of these people bragged about what they did in footage from The Act of Killing, when they are confronted with their role in his brother's murder, they deny and equivocate, they are like most bullies when confronted, they are cowards. I was interested in this movie, but not until the last interview which was with the family of the man who actually killed the brother and WROTE a book and DREW pictures about it. The man bragged about this in the first documentary, with his wife by his side. Unfortunately, he died before The Look of Silence was filmed, but his wife and two sons were alive and they were confronted (initially without the video footage). They deny having any knowledge of the murders, and get very angry; the director intervenes and tries to explain that the young man is looking for answers and he has a basis for his questions, namely the video footage which is then shown. The elderly mother is very upset, and the sons get angry and threatening, when after a few moments the mother sits down and apologizes, and tries to make some kind of amends. That was very difficult to watch, and I can only imagine how brave the man must have been to confront them, knowing they still live in the same community with him and his parents. There is a history lesson here for Americans because during the 1960s at the height of the Cold War, the US was very anti-Communist and encouraged its allies to take the same stance, and some countries like Indonesia used this position and support to commit these mass killings. It was easier to connect to the main character in this movie than the generals/anti-Communists who re-enacted the murders and torture. 

2/14/16 Winter on Fire, nominated for Best Documentary, 2015

I found myself cringing, wincing, cursing and cheering during this movie about protests in Ukraine in late November 2013 through early 2014. Ukraine was on the verge of joining the European Union when President Yanukovych began turning towards Russia and Vladimir Putin. The protests united all walks of Ukrainian citizenry: students, military, doctors, Jews, Russian Orthodox, Muslim, young and old against the President and the Parliament. The protests start out as peaceful, but then the police/militia/hired thugs turn it extremely violent and deadly. There are a couple of ebbs and flows in the temperament of the protesters, moments of hope dashed by acts of violence. It's hard to capture the narrative here, but the movie and the members of the protest group relay their story very well, and it's accompanied by contemporaneous video footage. I was so impressed by the determination, resolution and strength of the protesters; they were frequently overwhelmed by the weapons on the other side and many took physical beatings that were so hard to watch, unbelieving that five men beat and kick one man lying on the ground. They don't give up and it was inspiring. I felt a similarity to The Square which told the story of the Egyptian revolution. The only thing I would have liked to have seen would have been some interviews with the police or army or someone opposed to the protest and joining the European Union, if only to hear the justification for the extreme violence or how they felt attacking their countrymen, many of the older/elderly protesters yelled at the police "why are doing this to your own people?". Were they reluctant? Was it a power trip? It would have completed the picture. I hope a lot of people see this to see the hope of democracy extends beyond our borders.

I don't think these documentaries will win, my money is on What Happened, Miss Simone? with Amy a close second (not my favorite, but music is always popular at the Oscars).  Cartel Land may pull it out because it has a North America point of view. They are all good and all are available on Amazon, NetFlix, DVDs from the library and I recommend all of them. You will feel uplifted, angry, sad and who knows what else, but you'll feel something, I promise.

The Oscars are a week and a half away - are you ready?