Your Very Own Film Festival This Weekend

It's my favorite week of the year: True/False Film Fest begins today here in Columbia.

For four days in the spring, the center of the documentary film world is right here in mid-Missouri. Screenings and events are woven into the city's very fabric; it feels like it could be going on every week of the year here.

I mean that as the highest compliment I can pay to our little city. The locals who love film and the fest are part of what makes it so special, part of what makes big-city journalists who go to film festivals all over the world speak so highly of this unexpected hub of documentary films.

I love the commotion of it all, the jostling through hordes of people on narrow sidewalks not accustomed to so much traffic. I love seeing the same strangers in line at different venues, the brief moments of eye contact and a silent, knowing moment shared. I love eavesdropping at ever street corner, where every person surrounding you is suddenly a film critic after their two hours spent earning the right to opine as if they were paid for their thoughts. I love hurried bites from food trucks between screenings. I love music performances before each screening, and I love even more knowing that if the music really gets its hooks in me, I can go to the local record shop and find merchandise and albums from the buskers.

I love reunions with friends who travel in from all over the country. I love comparing schedules, and I love never having to apologize for having too little time to spend catching up because they, too, have to get to a screening soon.

I love an organization that stands up for its values and welcomes all comers. I love the shared understanding that time in a movie theater is a sacred, collective experience, and I love resting soundly in the knowledge that True/False crowds are some of the best movie-goers with whom I've ever had the pleasure of sharing a theater.

I say all of that to say this: If you love movies, come to Columbia, Missouri, next year for True/False. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

If my words aren't alone enough to convince you, I've compiled a brief list of films just from the years I've attended (which is every year save for one (2018-2020; 2022-2024) since I first arrived in Columbia and was told by numerous people: "You're going to love True/False."). These are some of my favorites that I first saw in one of True/False's venues, and now I bring them to you for your at-home viewing pleasure.

Don't get me wrong: If you're experiencing a wave of springtime weather like we're going to have this weekend, get outside and enjoy yourself. But when you eventually find your way inside and in search of something to hold your attention or make you think or make you laugh or make you cry, look no further than these films. There's something for everybody.

This email is DEFINITELY going to be clipped short, so be sure to open it in your browser to see the full list.

2018

American Animals

Perhaps a quintessential True/False film: A dramatization of real events that may or may not have happened exactly as depicted. But an outlier in the fact that it's scripted and stars some pretty well-known actors.

From T/F:

In 2004, an unlikely band of college students attempted an outrageous heist of rare books (including original copies of Audubon's "Birds of America") from a university library. Inspired by the larcenies they'd witnessed on screen, they planned for months. What happened — and, arguably, didn’t happen — is the focus of this white-knuckle fictional caper film, directed with colorful verve by Bart Layton (The Imposter, T/F 2012). The acting is impeccable, but what truly sets the movie apart is that we also meet the actual young men (now older, of course) and hear the story through their not-always-reliable recollections — a strategy that only amplifies the tension. In what's sure to be one of the most talked-about movies of the year, Layton manages both a satisfying narrative conclusion and insights into the true gulf between the movies and real life.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Love Means Zero

You've seen me write about my love of tennis a number of times in this newsletter, so it's no surprise that I'd find a way to include the only tennis-related movie I ever saw at True/False on the list. But here's the great thing: You don't have to know a thing about tennis to be sucked in by this story.

From T/F:

In this provocative confrontation with one of the most famous names in tennis, director Jason Kohn (Manda Bala, T/F 2007) grapples with the legacy of Nick Bollettieri — a fantastically successful self-promoter, a driven and abusive coach and the architect behind the careers of many tennis greats. Over a series of extended interviews, Kohn does battle with Bollettieri, pushing the aging coach to a level of introspection and reflection that's clearly uncomfortable — and maybe impossible. But throughout the verbal sparring, the stories keep coming — tales of hustle and grit and the destructive legacy of winning at all costs.

Where to watch: Paramount+

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

If you've heard the fuss over director RaMell Ross's directorial vision for this year's The Nickel Boys, you'll appreciate his first film's creativity and visionary approach as well.

From T/F:

Crafted with startling beauty and reflecting an uncanny ability to observe, this film is spun together with a tenderness and intelligence that can't help but move us. This work of drifting portraiture loosely traces the lives of two young men in Hale County, Alabama, flowing in and out of their homes and basketball practices in a fearless reimagining of how stories are told about black lives in the American South. First-time director RaMell Ross carefully presents important moments from almost a decade of Quincy and Daniel's lives. Everything is recorded with intimacy while preserving the universal mystery of another human being's life, allowing the subjects the same humanity that we, as viewers, afford ourselves. This poetic film asks us to be open-minded about what documentaries are "supposed" to be so we can also be open enough to immerse ourselves in the lives of others.

Where to watch: Criterion Channel

Three Identical Strangers

I remember just being blown away by the story in this one.

From T/F:

The first 30 minutes of this stranger-than-fiction tale deliver a jaw-dropping, feel-good human-interest story that managed to go viral, even in the pre-internet era. Oblivious of each other's existence, three young men — Robert Shafran, Edward Galland, and David Kellman — grew up in three very different conditions. An uncanny coincidence helped reunite these three identical triplets, separated at birth. Soon, the trio are media stars and we embark upon a romp-filled tour of the early 1980s (Studio 54, Phil Donahue, Kim Wilde etc.). But the story switches gears, revealing darker themes and insidious forces. Robert, Edward, and David, always captivating on screen, become the center of a knotty conspiracy, one that will ramp up our ongoing debate about nature versus nurture, along with questions of scientific ethics. It's a disquieting look at how hidden forces can shape our lives.

Where to watch: Tubi; Kanopy (with library card)

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Who couldn't use a little of that magic that only Mister Rogers can provide?

From T/F:

A true master of synthesizing pop culture into great filmmaking, Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, T/F 2013) reframes that most beloved (and much parodied) cultural institution: Mister Rogers. But fear not — instead of sinister revelations, this artfully crafted portrait offers hard-won uplift. From Fred Rogers' beginnings as a pastor who saw television as his pulpit to his rise to fame as an outspoken defender of public television to his visionary insights into child development, formed during the best-seen-not-heard era, this public history will feel deeply personal to many viewers. Though "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" may feel like an American relic, Neville asks us to consider what of value we have lost since the more open-hearted days Rogers' show represents — and wonders how we can find it again.

Where to watch: Netflix

2019

American Factory

This one was a big deal when it turned up on the slate. It premiered at Sundance and was already sparking conversations as the first film from Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

From T/F:

Dizzying, hilarious and devastating, this tale of two factories makes for a landmark story of workplace anxiety. Directors Reichert and Bognar have spent a decade documenting the plight of Ohio's factory workers, and their dedication pays off when they are given astonishing access to Fuyao, a Chinese auto glass manufacturer, as it revives a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton. At first, their cameras capture a classic fish-out-of-water, culture-clash story. We watch as American Fuyao workers visit the Chinese headquarters, discovering Chinese workers’ far deeper (and sometimes surreal) levels of commitment. The filmmakers refuse to cast anyone as hero or villain, including billionaire owner Cao Dewang, who muses on whether his factories have ruined the environment. The story deepens into a penetrating examination of the U.S. blue-collar workforce as it cedes its place to an increasingly powerful China.

Where to watch: Netflix

APOLLO 11

It's wild to me that, for real cinephiles, one of the biggest treats possible is to learn that a film is going to be shot and shown in 70mm format. It's not a common thing these days. But would you believe that hours and hours of footage of the preparation and launch of NASA's Apollo 11 space flight to the moon was shot in 70mm?

Though the projection at True/False wasn't in 70mm, it was a treat to see this on the biggest screen possible. I encourage you to watch it that way, too.

From T/F:

Fifty years ago, more than a million spectators gathered to watch the launch of the first manned trip to the moon. It was less than a decade after President Kennedy declared that the U.S. would be “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” Director/editor Todd Douglas Miller’s film spectacularly stages Apollo 11’s launch, peers intimately over the shoulders of the engineers in NASA’s Houston control room, and hurtles through space before relaying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s historic first steps on the moon. Each tactical maneuver and video transmission is breathless proof of collective action by a united nation. Assembled wholly from 70mm footage filmed during the mission, this time capsule immortalizes the Apollo 11 mission as a heart-pounding thriller.

Where to watch: Tubi (free); upgrade to 4K by renting from Apple or Amazon Prime

Cold Case Hammarskjöld

Quirky, gonzo-style movie where the filmmaker is a key character in the film, and I loved him for it. It's a very funny movie.

From T/F:

It's been many years since we've heard from Danish enfant terrible Mads Brügger, last seen smuggling blood diamonds in The Ambassador (T/F 2012) and infiltrating North Korea in The Red Chapel (T/F 2010). This muckraking journalist is back with his most ambitious, sophisticated and problematic film yet. In 1961, U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld was killed in a plane crash while traveling to a ceasefire negotiation in the Congo. The death has since been a source of conspiracy theories, with many believing he was murdered but no consensus on the murderer or their motive. Aided by private investigator Göran Björkdahl, a dogged and perhaps irrationally persistent Brügger attempts to find an answer. What begins as an engrossing if somewhat trivial murder mystery explodes into something unfathomably chilling.

Where to watch: Tubi

Midnight Traveler

Some of the most fun I had in graduate school was attending a screening of this and rushing back to the newsroom to bang out a review in less than two hours, which you can read here.

From T/F:

Forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban called for his death, filmmaker Hassan Fazili recounts his shame: He's no longer able to provide for his family and feels responsible for their harrowing journey. This confession is one of many indelibly personal moments in Fazili’s film that, in addition to providing the most powerful first-person look at the global refugee crisis, showcases the manifold ways our world can grind down on a person's humanity. Armed only with cellphone cameras, Fazili; his wife, Fatima; and their two young daughters, Nargis and Zahra, document their three-year-long search for asylum and unexpectedly upend many tenets of documentaries about refugees. The existence and completion of this intense, beautiful film speak as much to the necessity of the documentarian impulse as to the bravery of its filmmakers.

Where to watch: Hoopla (with library card) ; Kanopy (with library card)

Mike Wallace Is Here

Just a classic example of a talking-head documentary, complete with some all-time great archival footage of an all-timer in the TV news business.

From T/F:

The epitome of the brash, merciless investigative reporter, Mike Wallace lived his life on the air. A workaholic with a Bogart-like charisma, Wallace defined himself through tough questioning that cut to the chase. This transcendent celebrity profile, with its access to vast amounts of footage from his 60-year career on TV, moves from his groundbreaking Night Beat show to the launch of 60 Minutes in 1968 to a dangerous trip to Vietnam, interviews with Reagan, and the investigation that began the unraveling of the cigarette industry. Mike Wallace is Here (supposedly the four scariest words in the English language!) explores the nature of ego, drive, and accomplishment, revealing what made the man such a force, whether talking to Johnny Carson, Barbra Streisand, or Ayatollah Khomeini. At its best, the documentary feels like it's being narrated from inside Wallace's head, and throughout it offers a thrilling review of a half-century of world history.

Where to watch: Hoopla (with library card)

[Untitled] Amazing Jonathan Documentary

This was one of the first things I ever wrote about in this newsletter.

From T/F:

The Amazing Johnathan, a left-field Vegas entertainer with a rock ’n’ roll swagger, has been given just a few months to live. Years later, he’s self-medicating and still standing. Just as Johnathan announces his Farewell Tour, filmmaker Ben Berman plucks the fallen star from a virtual waiting room of potential documentary stars, but Johnathan proves less than compliant. Specializing in outré bits like popping out his own eyeball, Johnathan’s magic illusions are shot through with comedy; he also wrote the book on practical jokes. So how much of his relationship with Berman is on the level? The tour triggers a twisty-turny, cat-and-mouse, hall-of-mirrors, inside-out, funhouse game between subject and filmmaker. As the absurdities pile up, the documentary industry—opportunistic, exploitative, amoral—reveals itself as chasing its own tail. Nothing is as it seems. Nor is it otherwise.

Where to watch: Hulu

2020

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

This might be one of my favorite films I've ever watched at the festival.

The Las Vegas skyline is littered with unfinished high-rises, ostentatious displays of wealth from unknown developers. In the shadows of the cranes, a beloved neighborhood dive bar is closing its doors. Shot on the final day of operation, coincidentally (or not) right after the 2016 election, Bloody Nose, Empty Pocketswatches with equal parts love, recognition, and amusement as a small but devoted clientele stop by for the final night of drinking. The festivities are lovely and low-key at first, but emotions heighten as the liquor keeps pouring, and soon the camera is dancing with the barflys, listening in on their intense conversations, and tagging along for delightful shenanigans. A tour de force of construction, this magical, atmospheric film operates simultaneously as a moving portrait of a bar family, a bittersweet state of the nation, and an ecstatic simulation of inebriation.

Where to watch: Hoopla (with library card); Kanopy (with library card); MUBI

Boys State

A more perfect set of characters and circumstances could not have been planned out in a writers' room. This is an exceptional film.

From T/F:

What will the United States look like in 30 years? Over a single summer week, an ambitious and accomplished crop of teenage boys from across the state of Texas assembles at the state capital. Some plaster their bedrooms with portraits of Reagan; others look to Bernie as they imagine revolution. Strangers to one another, each is randomly assigned to one of two fictional political parties. Together, they must reach consensus on a platform and nominee to run head-to-head with the other party’s choice for the title of 2018 Texas Boys State governor. Boys State is a miracle of documentary production, with a perceptive camera crew that happens to be everywhere at just the right time. We’re there as stars are born and campaigns come crashing down (monitor your Instagram accounts!). This delightful, insightful, and rousing film watches as its charismatic subjects figure out if it’s possible to unite a divided house.

Where to watch: AppleTV+

Collective

Just a good, old-fashioned investigative journalism documentary.

From T/F:

Fire spreads quickly through a Bucharest nightclub. Dozens die before they can escape as the result of insufficient safety regulations, but inexplicably, many more perish in the days that follow. In Collective, director Alexander Nanau doggedly tags along with a tenacious cadre of reporters as they carefully uncover the reasons why. As the revelations pile up, their reporting captures the attention of an increasingly livid public, who direct their anger at a hopelessly corrupt government. Nanau’s cool-headed, rigorous approach to observational filmmaking complements his journalist subjects, who resolutely strive for a collective understanding of reality in a society that has lost touch with truth. Eventually and unexpectedly, Nanau's access trumps that of the reporters, and this involving procedural transforms into a jaw-dropping, up-close look at systemic rot.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video; Tubi; Hoopla (with library card); Kanopy (with library card)

Feels Good Man

I just rewatched this for the hell of it. Not like crazy-bad actors on the internet taking an interest in politics and moving the needle on national elections PLUS explicit white-supremacist talking points is relevant in our current political moment or anything, right?

From T/F:

In 2005, artist Matt Furie posted a cartoon strip to Myspace starring four stoner friends—Andy, Brett, Landwolf, and Pepe. Inspired by impish humor and boyhood mischief, Furie’s story about a little frog who likes to pee-pee with his pants down became wildly popular on new social media platforms such as 4chan, Reddit, and Twitter. As users adapted Matt’s image to fit their own playful or polemical ends, the meme began to mutate and Pepe the Frog was co-opted by an army of anonymous trolls. A rollicking horror flick about the zombie afterlife of images online and off, this film is a must-see for Walter Benjamin acolytes and anyone who lives on the internet – or wants to understand those that do.

Where to watch: Hulu

Time

An absolute gut-punch of a film, but my goodness, is it a beautiful artifact of a very specific set of lives. I know precisely why the Criterion Collection added this film immediately.

From T/F:

A single moment in time can propel your life into new, unexpected directions. A single decision, a single chance, or a single mistake. We talk about time like we talk about movement, tumbling forwards, pregnant with possibility. In prison, the world races on without you, with your family and loved ones straddling parallel dimensions of space and time. Sibil “Fox” Rich’s family is split in two as her husband Rob serves the mandatory minimum sentence for a first-time offense committed in his 20s, and their sons grow into men. Garrett Bradley’s Time is a gorgeous decades-long portrait of Fox Rich – a tireless advocate, entrepreneur, and prison abolitionist – and a testament to the monumental strength of all women who love and support someone behind bars. Eighteen years of home miniDV tapes capture each year’s birthdays and milestones as Fox records video love letters to melt the iron bars of Louisiana's Angola prison and keep her family together.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Welcome to Chechnya

No reason, no reason at all, why this brave film about the LGBTQ+ experience in a nation that's openly and notoriously targeting them for torture and death would be relevant to American viewers in 2025.

From T/F:

There are no gay men in Chechnya, if we are to trust the words of the man who leads the volatile Russian republic. “To purify our blood, if there are any here, take them.” Over the past three years, Ramzan Kadyrov’s government has rounded up, tortured, and killed the republic’s LGBT+ residents. In response to this terrifying development, a group of Chechen citizens band together to form an underground network that ushers LGBT+ community members out of the region and to safety. In Welcome to Chechnya, director David France (How to Survive a Plague, T/F 2011) embeds with these brave activists to document their harrowing rescues and elaborate handoffs, high risk efforts in which a simple mistake—contact with the wrong government official, the misplacement of a SIM card—could end in disaster. France’s vital, present-tense film is essential, not only for showing that this contested genocide is very much real but also for tenderly capturing the love that, despite the terror, still flourishes among Chechnya’s LBGT+ residents.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video; Max; Hoopla (with library card); Kanopy (with library card); MUBI

2022

2nd Chance

If the key to success for a certain kind of documentary is to find a compelling subject, this one is a home run: The story (and the guy) are batshit crazy. This was a late-night showing for me, and a lot of times I struggle to stay engaged after a full day of watching numerous films when the final one is running on toward midnight. But I stayed locked in on this one.

From T/F:

There’ve been many documentaries about American gun culture, but you’ve never seen one remotely like this. 2nd Chance takes an unflinching, frequently hilarious look at Richard Davis, the inventor of the concealed bulletproof vest. Davis notoriously shot himself 100+ times on camera to promote his product—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Oscar-nominated narrative-film veteran Ramin Bahrani has chosen for his first feature documentary an uproarious, if unnerving, slice of Americana. 2nd Chance initially operates in the darkly comedic tradition of Winnebago Man, Finders Keepers, and American Movie, but as former business partners and ex-wives weigh in—and we witness one of the most deranged father-son interactions ever commited to tape—the belly laughs uncover both a troubling character study of an unreliable narrator and a thoughtful meditation on gun violence. 

Where to watch: Paramount+

Fire of Love

If you haven't ever seen this, what a treat for me to get to recommend it to you. It is stunning, in much the same way APOLLO 11 is stunning: that such high-quality visuals could have been shot on film so long ago in such conditions.

From T/F:

The married volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft devoted their lives to their shared mission of deciphering the mysteries of volcanoes. For two decades, whenever a volcano erupted, Katia and Maurice wouldn’t be far behind. They documented their global adventures in breathtaking 16mm films and stunning photographs that helped expand the public’s understanding of the natural world. The couple were so committed to their work that they ultimately sacrificed themselves for the greater good when they remained behind to film the 1991 volcano explosion on Japan’s Mount Unzen. Breathing new life into their vast archive of awe-inspiring images, director Sara Dosa chronicles the Kraffts' epic love story in this hypnotic and poetic film. A big-screen experience not to be missed, Fire of Love takes us on a vivid and jaw-dropping journey to the edge of the abyss.

Where to watch: Disney+; Hulu

I Didn't See You There

The same year I saw this film, I also attended a smaller event where some of the director's short films were shown and then a moderator asked some great questions. I got to talk to the filmmaker afterwards, and he was utterly delightful. I really enjoyed seeing him taking in the fest the rest of the weekend.

From T/F:

When a Big Top circus erects its tent outside filmmaker Reid Davenport’s Oakland apartment, it evokes a personal reflection on the history of the Freak Show and the role it plays in his own artistry and social (in)visibility. Davenport’s prior short films showcase stories of people with disabilities from their perspective, yet the looming tent makes him question if he’s inadvertently subjected himself to a modernized Freak Show. Determined not to be the subject of anyone’s gaze in his latest undertaking, Davenport remains out of frame by filming daily life from the perspective of his wheelchair. His striking documentary feature debut captures him navigating a city poorly designed for his needs while attempting to avoid stares, obstacles, and unsolicited help from strangers as he discusses America’s morbid obsession with othering the different.

Where to watch: Amazon (rent); AppleTV (rent)

Let The Little Light Shine

I can hardly remember a documentary for which the audience wants to root for its protagonists more than this one. Truly a David-versus-Goliath story.

From T/F:

When city planners impose unwanted changes, one person can easily feel helpless—but a group of people with a common cause just might find enough collective strength to fight the power. Let the Little Light Shine tells the story of the parents, teachers, administrators, and students of Chicago’s National Teachers Academy, a high-performing public elementary school in an African American neighborhood, who join forces in an effort to do just that. When the powers that be announce plans to phase out NTA’s current K-8 curriculum and transform it into a high school drawing students from other schools, the community senses gentrification at work and gets organized. Kevin Shaw’s riveting documentary captures the struggle to save NTA through all its highs and lows—introducing us to charismatic young leaders taking a stand to protect their academic futures.

Where to watch: Amazon (rent); AppleTV (rent); YouTube (rent)

Sirens

One of those unexpected delights for me.

From T/F:

Slave to Sirens are Lebanon’s first all-female thrash metal band. On the outskirts of Beirut, the band’s founders, Lilas and Shery, along with bandmates Maya, Alma, and Tatyana, navigate the uphill struggle to make it in the music industry with all the odds stacked against them. Director Rita Baghdadi immerses us in the world of the group with an observational lens, framing the young women against the backdrop of the political turmoil and destruction in their city. Lilas is coming to terms with her sexuality and how it has informed her intense connection with Shery, a connection that is at the heart of their musical collaboration but is also the cause of fiery arguments that could bring the band to its knees. Sirens is a coming-of-age portrait about finding your voice and forging your own path to independence.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

We Met In Virtual Reality

A creative approach to film that matches its subject matter perfectly.

From T/F:

Filmed entirely inside the social VR platform VRChat, We Met in Virtual Reality is an innovative reimagination of the observational documentary form. The film was shot during the pandemic and immerses us in an online community that provides friendship, support, and connection at a time when people couldn’t physically be together. Within this digital world, we hear real voices but only ever encounter the cast of characters as their animated avatars, a new form of self-expression that helps many finally feel they can be their true selves. Following the story of two couples who met in VRChat and an ASL society that is now 2,000 members strong, first-time director Joe Hunting crafts an endearing portrait of this community with tenderness and understanding, reflecting on the possibilities for human connections in the online realm.

Where to watch: Max

2023

Bad Press

Another pitch-perfect protagonist: a hard-charging journalist going up against the powers that be. Important film, and not just because I'm a journalism fanatic.

From Letterboxd:

When the Muscogee Nation suddenly begins censoring its free press, a rogue reporter fights to expose her government’s corruption in a historic battle that will have ramifications for all of Indian country.

Where to watch: Criterion Channel

Art Talent Show

When I think of this movie, I'm reminded of what director Bong Joon-ho once said: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."

I would be easy for an American audience to check out of this one since it's in Czech, but the characters are so relatable, the archetypes to recognizable, the viewing experience so enjoyable that it would be a real shame if they do.

From Letterboxd:

Artistic endeavour isn’t about competing; even so, applicants still have to be placed in order of merit at the academy’s entrance exams. But how do you assess artistic talent? And what role can art play in today’s world? A layered, observational documentary which presents a portrait of an institution and a light generational statement in one.

Where to watch: Hoopla (with library card)

The Stroll

Artists are often told write/make what they know, and the person connection of director to subject matter really comes across in this one.

From Letterboxd:

The history of New York’s Meatpacking District, told from the perspective of transgender sex workers who lived and worked there. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell, who walked “The Stroll” for a decade, reunites her community to recount the violence, policing, homelessness, and gentrification they overcame to build a movement for transgender rights.

Where to watch: Max

Time Bomb Y2K

A real time capsule for those of us old enough to remember late, great 1999. Such a down-the-middle, good-f0r-all-time-zones film that you could gather the entire family and never once have an awkward moment.

From Letterboxd:

As the clock counted down to the the 21st century, the world faced a potential technological disaster: a bug that could cause computers to misinterpret the year 2000 as 1900. Crafted entirely from archival footage and featuring first-hand accounts from computer experts, survivalists, scholars, militia groups, conservative Christians, and pop icons, Time Bomb Y2K is a prescient and often humorous tale about the power and vulnerabilities of technology.

Where to watch: Max

2024

Daughters

If you watched this year's standout Sing Sing and felt moved beyond words, this is another view of glimmers of hope and light for an incarcerated population.

From T/F:

In the last decade, hundreds of US prisons have stopped allowing in-person visits, which has further eroded the familial bonds that the system already impacts. Children may go years without hugging an incarcerated parent. Daughters chronicles an eight-year journey of four young girls, intimately showcasing the impact of mass incarceration on father-daughter relationships through the lens of the 12-week Date with Dad program. Reuniting fathers and daughters for a single afternoon at a dance inside prison walls, the program aims to strengthen family ties and promote life skills for potential reintegration. While their fathers participate in a vulnerable therapy group to prepare, Aubrey, Ja’Ana, Raziah, and Santana candidly share their hopes and disappointments in poignant vignettes. In this deeply affecting reflection on the dehumanization of mass incarceration, Daughters reveals the emotional cost of separation from a loved one and the increasingly urgent need for criminal justice reform.

Where to watch: Netflix

Girls State

The follow-up to Boys State was not quite as strong in terms of the story lines that presented themselves, but it still has a cast of compelling characters AND just happened to be set right here in Missouri. In fact, some of our current students were in the film, and it made for a fun environment. I remember after I'd seen it, I was at another film later in the weekend and one of the girls sat in the row behind me, where she was oblivious to the fact that I knew who she was.

From T/F:

Every summer, teenage girls from across Missouri spend a week building a government from the ground up. Coming from different ends of the political and socioeconomic spectrum, they all share a passion for reimagining the future of America. The filmmakers behind Boys State (T/F 2020) return to the world of teen politics to capture the 2022 program – the first time in history that Girls State and Boys State take place simultaneously on the same campus. With rumors of Roe v. Wade being overturned in the real world, the stakes feel higher than ever for these ambitious and dedicated young women. As the days unfold and rumblings from the Boys program make their way across campus, discontent begins to emerge over the disparities between the two. An exhilarating portrait of our political landscape and the pivotal issue of gender equality.

Where to watch: AppleTV+

[The Remarkable Life of] Ibelin

I'm blown away every time I think of this film (I've written about it a few times now.)

From T/F:

Mats Steen was born with a degenerative muscular disease, and playing video games from his wheelchair was one of his only forms of solace. In the eyes of his family, his life was one of isolation and loneliness. However after his death at age 25, messages started pouring in from his online friends, reflecting on the huge impact he had on their lives. Through these messages, they learned about Ibelin, Mats’ charismatic alter-ego inside World of Warcraft, and his complex identity as agony uncle, trusted confidante, and complicated playboy. Weaving together narrated entries from Mats’ blog, interviews with his digital companions, and reconstructed scenes inside the animated game world, Ibelin is a touching and innovative portrait of a young man who found an enriching community and human connection in the virtual realm.

Where to watch: Netflix

Look Into My Eyes

It's unreal how charming this film's kooky cast of characters is. Even if (like me) you watch this and roll your eyes at the obvious bullshit, I dare you not to feel the human stakes and connection in this often touching and hilarious film.

From T/F:

Against the backdrop of New York City, a group of psychics conduct readings for their clients, attempting to reach into the beyond to provide answers to their questions. Coming from different walks of life and with varying approaches to their vocation, what they all share is the gift of creating space for their clients to feel deeply, free from judgment. From the aspiring actor, attuned to departed loved ones, to the pet psychic who avidly watches Jeopardy!, we are invited into the personal lives of these mediums, revealing that isolation, dread, and personal struggles extend beyond their clientele. Lana Wilson (After Tiller, T/F 2013) navigates humor, tenderness, and turmoil with a skillful eye for human emotion. Whether you are a believer or not, Look Into My Eyes is a deeply poetic, empathic exploration of the therapeutic effect of being truly seen by another.

Where to watch: Max

Spermworld

I love how this grew out of a piece of journalism. I love how quirky and seemingly taboo the subject matter is, but how tenderly and lovingly the characters are presented. Another film that thrives on the realness and vulnerability of its subjects.

From T/F:

The world of private sperm donation takes center stage in Lance Oppenheim’s second feature about the online portals facilitating off-the-record baby-making. With the rules of the game undefined and few, if any, legal protections in place for those who partake, Spermworld takes us across America, to encounter donors and recipients as they exchange the “goods” but also the emotional baggage that comes with procreation. We meet Ari, who has fathered over 120 children yet continues to yearn for his mother’s approval; Atasha, who reluctantly accepts her partner’s line of work while hoping for her own positive pregnancy test; and Steve, whose altruism is challenged when he develops feelings for a recipient. An incisive and assured portrait of the human desire to connect in an increasingly alienating world.

Where to watch: Hulu

Yintah

Fierce. That's what I remember thinking about this film and its protagonists. They are fierce. They are fearless. They are inspiring.

From T/F:

This gripping debut feature from Michael Toledano, Jennifer Wickham, and Brenda Mitchell, unfolds as Wet’suwet’en activists confront fossil fuel corporations, the Canadian government, and militarized police to stop the construction of gas and oil pipelines on their territory. Taking its title from the Wet’suwet’en word for “land”, the film chronicles the decade-long struggle led by leaders Howilhkat Freda Huson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham, as they endure assaults from all directions. By constructing homes and establishing a healing center along the proposed pipeline route, they assert their right to defend their territory. Deeply embedded within the communities, the filmmakers chronicle the confrontations with outsiders through frenetic and exhilarating footage, taking us straight to the heart of the resistance. Yintah presents this urgent tale of modern colonization as a global-scale thriller and a rallying cry to keep fighting.

Where to watch: Netflix