Three Documentaries

Movie: Honeyland
Nominated for: Documentary Feature, International Feature
How I watched: Prime
When I fell asleep: No, I folded laundry
When it had me: Bee Stealing
When it lost me: I was in and out 
What I have to say: This movie is a perspective widener. Before it I did not know that people lived in Turkey in bombed out villages with no services whatsoever, surviving on the old ways, or living a nomadic existence just trying to survive off of a desert landscape. Early on in the film, I was worried that I would get bored just observing this lifestyle. However, conflicts arose that got me invested and anxious and the main characters won me over and got me really interested in where their lives would take them. It was interesting to see that the female beekeeper was all about sustainability, nurturing bees and generally believing that there would be enough for everyone. By contrast, the male bee keeper, urged on by the pressures to be a provider, prove his worth and meet unreasonable expectations, is focused only on a quick process leading to maximum profits. He ends up lying, stealing, over-harvesting and threatening the ability of anyone in the area to collect honey in the future. The film is shot beautifully and ultimately very engaging. This film got nominated both as a doc and as an International Feature. I haven't seen that before.






Movie: The Cave
Nominated for: Documentary Feature
How I watched: Laemmle Theatre
When I fell asleep: Not a bit
When it had me: Right from the start
When it lost me: Only for a tiny bit at the end
What I have to say: The most depressing film so far this year, The Cave follows an underground hospital trying to save lives in a neighborhood of Syria where the people are unable to get out and the Russians are bombing relentlessly. Should I feel hopeful that people are there exhibiting care and bravery? Should I feel desperate that in the face of war, so many lives are sacrificed, so many people tortured and lost? I felt both. I wept openly about three times during this movie and got really fidgety and uncomfortable for a while too. I mean, it's not fun to watch at all, but I think there is value in those of us who are living safe and privileged lives to open our eyes and see the painful truth of human existence.





Movie: American Factory
Nominated for: Documentary Feature
How I watched: Netflix
When I fell asleep: I didn't
When it had me: Chinese workers complaining about the Americans' fat fingers
When it lost me: A few times  
What I have to say: I thought this film raised interesting issues about the ever evolving nature of labor and jobs in America. Should we be doing things more like the Chinese? Would we ever want that? What happens when everything gets automated? It asks the hard questions and gets you thinking and of course, there are no easy answers. While I did appreciate how it makes you think, it didn't offer anything special in terms of film making choices.