I present here the best general interest true films I've found. I define true films as documentaries, educational films, instructional how-to's, and what the British call factuals - a non-fiction visual account.
As dogged as I have been in tracking down great true films, I have seen only a fraction of the estimated 40,000 that have been made. So I am ready for more. However I will only list true films and documentaries that are available as VHS tape or DVDs at consumer prices. In other words, films that are easy for most people to see upon request. I won't include films that are only shown in theaters, or available via high-priced rentals, or simply out of print.
If you know of an available amazing true film that I've missed please recommend it to me.
Food, Inc.
Food, Inc. is a very smart, very visual explanation of the industrial nature of our food system. Some of the characters and arguments are repeated from Michael Pollan's bestseller, The Ominvore's Dilemma (which I have reviewed previously), and Pollan plays a large role in this film. Like the book, this film makes a very memorable case for the downsides of agribusiness, although, unlike the book, it is light on solutions. Nonetheless, the film is eye-opening, head-shaking, and disturbing in a good way. If you eat in America, you really should see this film to get a sense of what you are eating. It's one of a handful of true films than change people's behavior.
-- KK
Food, Inc.
Robert Kenner
2008, 94 minutes
DVD, $10
Read more about the film at Wikipedia
Rent from Netflix
Available from Amazon
The September Issue
The Hollywood hit, The Devil Wears Prada, fictionalized the life of legendary fashion magazine editor Anna Wintour. As Editor-in-Chief of Vogue for several decades, Wintour has become the most powerful person in the global fashion industry, and she has long had a reputation for wielding her power coldly -- thus the tyrant in the movie portrayed by Meryle Streep. However in The September Issue we get to see the actual Anna Winatour, and surprisingly I found her very likeable. She is filmed overseeing the fattest-ever issue of Vogue (September, 2007), a huge undertaking, while dealing with tempermental photographers, stylists, designers and advertisers. Although billed as a profile of Wintour, this film is really a profile of a magazine. The drama present in making the Septmeber issue only rehearses the drama present every month and in almost any large national magazine. It reminded me of my own time spent at Wired (now owned by the same people who run Vogue). This documentary is about talented people trying to amaze and surprise, who keep seeking excellence, even at the cost of bruised egos. It's a wonderful inside peek at how great magazines are produced, even if it does not crack the reserve of Anna Wintour. The people around her, who do all the creative work, are very open to the camera, and they make their genius transparent.
-- KK
The September Issue
R.J. Cutler
2008, 90 min.
DVD, $23
Read more about the film at Wikipedia
Rent from Netflix
Available from Amazon
Good Hair
This documentary explores the extreme lengths that black women in America go to to straigthen their naturally curly hair. There's a lot of identity, gender and beauty politics wrapped up in their expensive and at times painful solutions. This documentary could have been an important but boring film, but comedian Chris Rock adds laughs to curl an otherwise straight subject. The result is funny, at times hilarious, but also deeply thought-provoking, and even informative (who knew black women's hair weaves all came from one temple in India?). This is a fantastic true film because it illuminates the complex invisible world that hides right behind an everyday common thing -- straight hair on black women. I've seen it twice already.
--KK
Good Hair
Jeff Stilson
2009, 95 min.
DVD, $22
Read more about the film at Wikipedia
Rent from Netflix
Available from Amazon
The Cove
This is far more entertaining than your usual "cause" film. It's sort of a real-world Mission Impossible with lots of high tech gear and a team of dedicated enthusiasts. The thrill of this documentary, filmed in Japan, is to watch a desperate anti-dolphin-killing activist assemble an undercover spy team to plant hidden hi-def and infrared cameras in the tightly guarded cove where the annual dolphin mass killings take place. Because of international media attention and the secluded nature of the tiny Japanase fishing village where everyone is protecting their livelihood, documenting the dolphin killing became a cat-and-mouse game. There's plenty of suspense. Additionally, there is righteous pleasure at the climax in the clever PR stunts the activists engage in to spotlight the killings and cover-ups. Oh, and I bet the film will probably be a pretty effective in stopping this secret slaughter.
-- KK
The Cove
Louie Psihoyos
2009, 92 min.
DVD, $16
Read more about the film at Wikipedia
Rent from Netflix
Available from Amazon
Related resources:
Take Part: The Cove
Save Japan Dolphins
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
This is one of those amazing stories that sticks with you forever. In the beginning a few decades ago Daniel Johnston is a very talented kid who makes weird art and music and also records his life on film. He hopes to be a famous artist some day. But his art and life get weirder and weirder. He keeps recording his life, but it is clear to others he is going crazy. He is racked by "demons" -- which is what his Bible-believing parents and Daniel himself believe. Yet, Daniel acquires thousands of true fans who see him as a genuine outsider artist and musician who makes visionary basement cassette tapes. Over time Daniel slips into self-destructive behavior until he is "rescued" by his father who whisks him away in a small plane. Then Daniel yanks the keys out of the plane in flight. It's the devil in Daniel Johnston his father says, and by now you believe it. You just gotta see this movie, in large part made by Daniel himself. It's a cult classic.
-- KK
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Jeff Feuerzeig
2005, 110 min.
$17, DVD
Read more about the film at Wikipedia
Rent from Netflix
Available from Amazon
