Rounding Out The Oscar Docs With The Square

I finally got around to seeing the square...

The last of the five Oscar nominated documentaries, and I assume the first Oscar nomination Netflix has received for original content. And believe it or not, it feels as though I saved the best for last.

Jehane Noujaim constructed an exciting and very informative journey into the heart of the current Egyptian uprising. At every turn the audience is made to feel the true dangers of the situation and in fact, we frequently see that danger hit these people head on. When my friend leaned over and said, "I've never been a part of something as important as what these guys are doing," I realized how true a sentiment that was.

Ahmed Hassan and his friends are literally fighting for basic human freedoms. All their lives, and for centuries before that, Egypt has been under one dictatorship or another. The people of that country have been oppressed for far too long. And finally technology (ie. internet, social media, film) have given them a voice. Of course, I found myself wishing they would stop making so many mistakes... form a constitution before anything else goes down guys! You have to get organized!!

Sorry, the simple truth is, these are people who are just now learning what freedom can really taste like. They will make mistakes and that in and of itself is rather interesting. But it's more important to recognize the meaning of their struggle. One day we will have to be a world united by peace. The stepping stones require freedom for all humans and an ability to go to school and learn and be informed by people in other places leading different lives.

The revolution seen in The Square is still ongoing, and it is incredibly important that we as a people recognize their purpose and their plight. I know I said in earlier posts I wouldn't get political, but this just became my front runner for the Academy Award.

Enjoying 20 Feet From Stardom Despite Its Consistent Flatlining

I got around to catching the fourth Oscar nominated documentary earlier today...

20 Feet from Stardom was a beautiful experience bringing back memories of excellent musical moments that I could never quite manage to put a face to. The idea of making a film focusing on the backup singers of some of the greatest songs ever written is very exciting in theory. Though about twenty minutes into the movie I found myself wondering if there would be some greater purpose to the film's existence.

Spoiler Alert: There isn't.

And that's okay.

It would seem Morgan Neville didn't really set out to convince his viewers of any particular concept. He just wanted to give us a heads up that these people existed and struggled and helped to make beautiful music that we will remember long after they are gone. Perhaps there is one comment worth mentioning... the idea that tuning is an expected expense on most recordings these days is a ridiculous thought. But this rather interesting conundrum comes and goes in the span of thirty seconds and is never mentioned again.

So I'm left wondering why this was chosen as a nominee at the Oscars this year. It's odd that there were no nature films in the category. And to be perfectly blunt, three of the other four docs are mostly about war and death... Given those odds, it's surprising that this made it at all. Perhaps it is just a representation by the Academy; an example of solidarity that they, in fact, understand those backup singers' pains.

It's cool to see a film like this nominated, but I really don't think it stands a chance against the likes of The Act of Killing and Cutie and the Boxer. Anyway, one more documentary left to go.

Equally Impressed And Depressed By The Act Of Killing

And then there's this movie: The Act of Killing.

In many ways this is the polar opposite of Dirty Wars. Joshua Oppenheimer did not set out to make a statement about a certain regime or to say the world is our enemy. He wanted to build something organic, something that could unfold before our eyes... not a past tense, but a present. So he found these men... famous "executioners"... self titled "gangsters" who have become celebrities in Indonesia. These men have never payed for killing 4.3 million people... people they claimed were communist without any real proof. In fact, these men get to live the high life.

So the idea to have them represent, on film, some of their most memorable kills in whatever way they'd like... essentially Oppenheimer gave them a medium in which to prove their own guilt to the world. And at a point, even they can't believe how terrible some of their acts appear on screen.

It's quite an amazing experience, unlike any I've seen in modern film. To say I was shocked by the way these men convince themselves they were not wrong for committing murder... mass murder... would be an understatement. But the driving force for continuing to live as they do must come from a place of forgetfulness or absurd inhumanity.

The Act of Killing walks a tightrope between the potential to condemn these men or the hope that the filmmakers can prove themselves better than them by not taking cheap shots. In the end there is one very real/vibrant conversation... the only time Oppenheimer seems to speak out on camera and the point he makes is just perfect and once again unforced... totally organic. It's a moment worth commending because it took no overexertion of force to put the reality into perspective for the main killer Anwar Congo.

I can't yet speak on the rest of the documentary category, but at present this would be my front runner for the Oscar. Watch it on Netflix.