Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Why Art Matters: Documentaries

My newest, latest binge watch.

Being trapped inside this winter meant lots more television than I'd rather watch. This has led to a marathon watching of documentaries on Netflix.

What makes them so interesting?

It's compelling storytelling with the purpose to inform the viewer about something that maybe isn't that widely celebrated. In the case of the recent documentary on ice shows, it was a beautifully packaged 80 minutes chronicling the rise and fall of the shows, from Sonia Heine to today. Knowing some of the players made it even more real and also more magical a time for my sport.

It introduces people and characters you may not otherwise meet. As a fan of Andy Warhol, I was aware of his entourage dubbed The Factory, yet had no real knowledge outside of Edie Sedwick. Then I watched a documentary on Candy Darling, the trans actress celebrated in Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side." It was a very sad tale of a boy who grew to be woman, who in turn became an actress, a performer who performed every second of her existence. All I could think is the line from Courtney Love, "I fake it so real, I am beyond fake," even to the point of demanding full makeup during the final days in the hospital. And the Oscar winning 20 Feet From Stardom was simply magical.

They touch on real life. The documentary Trapped dealt with the subject of politics and societal norms clashing over the subject of international adoption. It was like reliving the years 2003 - 2005 again, as we were jerked around by both the Russian and Bulgarian governments  during our adoption quest, which drew to its end when Dave accepted a job in Michigan while I was in Missouri. This opportunity negated our home study, and also put the Catholic agency in a tailspin because they considered us "separated," even if it were for business. But we were lucky: we were only out $5,000 whereas the families in the documentary pumped $100,000 or more to be reunited with their child. Still, 10 years later, I wonder what our little Beatrix or Katarina is doing on the other side of the world, and hope she is ok.

This has also led to some consumer indignation on my part, watching in horror on the subject of GMOs, fast food and mega-super stores and their effect on economies both great and small. Hard to say not shopping at WalMart makes me some sort of activist, but it's a start.

And simply opening the world around me. CNN is the home to not one but two recent favorites, Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and Morgan Spurlock's Inside Man. Both shows are part two in both men's television career, Bourdain's No Reservations and Spurlock's 30 Days. Yet different, of course. The first season of Bourdain's PU finds him exploring the more challenging corners of people, food and culture, like Libya and Detroit. What he finds time and again is people are people and local cuisine is amazing. He doesn't sugarcoat issues, like abandoned buildings in Detroit or the uncomfortable culture clash where he was allowed to eat with the men, while the women were regulated to what he called "the kids table." Spurlock again immerses himself as a local to experience societal problems firsthand, like teaching in an inner city school or working the orange groves alongside migrant workers.

No comments:

#700: The Beatles, Ranked! The NAs

Er, not quite Post #700 if I'm counting correctly!  As posted previously, I dialed down my ambition to rank all the Beatles songs, decid...