SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT (2024)

SOUNDTRACK… is a staggering a achievement. Hands down one of the very best documentaries of the year, it’s a film that you are going to watch multiple times because it is so full of information and amazing sequences that you will need to see it again and again to process it all. Structured like a jazz piece the film moves and breaths and dances around like something that is a living breathing entity. It’s an overwhelming piece of filmmaking.

The film is the story of what happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960’s when all the hope was crushed by the intervention of non-African powers made sure that Patrice Lumumba's life was cut short. It’s a sad tale that set the stage for a great deal of what has happened in the last 60 years.

This is a hell of a film which doesn’t seem to leave any stone unturned. It goes into all sorts of unexpected places and connects them up via a brilliant structure that bounces us from point to point with out losing our attention and making sure we are following along. I was kind of shocked at the details this film shows us,  including the insanity of what happened during the shooting of the infamous documentary AFRICA ADDIO (the directors may or may have paid to film an execution). When the two and a half hours were done I was ready to go again.

I need to see this again in order to really write on it. For now, just see it. 

Know I love this film a great deal. I can’t imagine it not getting on the Oscar short list and making a run for the award.

Highly recommended.

Up At Night (2020) Sundance 2021

 “As dusk fades and another night without electricity falls, Kinshasa's neighbourhoods reveal an unstable environment of violence, political conflict and uncertainty over the building of the Grand Inga 3 hydroelectric dam, which promises one day to bring a permanent source of energy to the Congo.”- official synopsis 

Ultra-widescreen film gives us the images of a darkened neighborhood in the Congo. Told in a style that often is a triptych  the film puts us into the darkened homes and streets of a neighborhood where electricity isn’t available. 

This is a film you have to be patient with. While the three screens seems to be a showy ploy it quickly fades, especially if you can see this on a large screen into something compelling. Instead of keeping us outside the action it strangely pulls us in with many of the images of triple images making us truly feel like we are there. 

A wonderful atypical look at the world.

Silent Forests (2018) Brooklyn Film Festival 2019

It kills me that Mariah Wilson's SILENT FOREST  maybe destined to get lost in the shuffle. A portrait of the efforts to save the forest elephants in the Congo Basin, it is coming on the heals of at least five or six similar films in the last 18 months or so. I fear audiences and distributors may think they have seen it all, which is a shame because this film covers a great deal of territory that most people will not be aware of even if they see the other films.

Not focusing on one subject,person or topic relating to conservation but several, the film gives us a look at one of Cameroon’s first female eco-guards, a grassroots wildlife law enforcement group, a Congolese biologist studying elephant behavior, a reformed elephant poacher, and a team of anti-poaching sniffer dogs led by a Czech conservationist. Its a lot to chew on and it is the reason that the film runs almost to hours of screen time. While the coverage is not uniformly perfect, there is so much here it all can't be, and while you will no doubt prefer some threads to others, we are still given a great deal to chew on.

While many of the the other films are much flashier in their treatment of the subject, SILENT FOREST is much more low key and to the point, with the result we are filled to the brim with sense of why we need to protect the wildlife in the Basin.   I know the low key  style will make the film suffer in comparison for those people want constant beautiful vistas and cute animals filling there screens, and that is all well and good, but Mariah Wilson understands that this is a human story as much as it is one about the animals and her focus brings us closer to the efforts to save the animals. Because we really get to know the men and women at the center of the story we come to understand why they are doing what they are doing so we too are given a clue as to why we should be joining them in the fight. This is the film that is going to make you get off your ass and actually do something.

I really liked this film a great deal. As someone who has seen most, if not all of recent conservation films I know that this is one of the best of the bunch. Definitely and highly recommended.

For ticket and information go here.

The truly hopeful CITY OF JOY hits Netflix Friday

Raw visceral painful heart breaking joyous hopeful film about The City of Joy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a place where women can go to heal and find strength in he face of the violence committed against them. It is one of the most vital, important and best films I saw in 2016 and now it is coming to Netflix.

Congo has been at war with itself for the better part of the last two decades. Spurred on by various governments and multinational corporations who want to control the countries vast mineral wealth (much of which is need for cellphones and computers) various factions have been shooting each other and the population to get what they want or simply enslaving them outright. The various forces outside the country have been funding factions inside the country in order to cause chaos so they can seize control of the countries natural resources. Since the country is in a state of war there is no regulation and the miners can pillage the land. Meanwhile the militias that roam the country kill whom ever they want and commit acts of sexual violence against the women.

The film chronicles the founding of City of Joy by Dr. Denis Mukwege, Christine Schuler Deschryver and Eve Ensler, who were moved to so something after the sheer weight of the violence against women in Congo became too much to bear. They had to do something, and so they set up a place where the women could be safe, be taught how to overcome the trauma and become empowered to change themselves and the country. It is a ray of light piercing the darkness that is much of Congo.

A mix of pained stories and of hope, CITY OF JOY is a truly special film. A visceral gut punch this is one of those rare treasures that will have you crying from sadness one minute and laughter the next. Director Madeleine Gavin beautifully modulates the the film so that we are always aware that the terrible things that have happened to these women, while never letting us forget that it is possible to rise up and become something stronger. We watch them cry and we watch them smile- and most importantly we watch the tears become laughter.

How do I talk about this film? How do I critique it? I don't think it's possible. CITY OF JOY simply over comes any reservations one might have by simply chronicling how people can be stronger than the situations they are put into. It is a shining reminder that there are still good people in the world.

I can not praise or recommend this film enough. An absolute must see when it hits Neflix Friday

Makala (2017)

Kasongo is a 28-year-old man living in Congo with his wife and family. He is trying to make enough money to buy a house for his family by making charcoal from the hard wood trees nearby. We watch as he goes goes through the entire process from falling the tree to making the charcoal to selling it.

Gorgeous to look at observational documentary carries you along with just what a hard process making charcoal is. It is  long and drawn out and we are there for it all. We are also there as Kasongo travels into to the city and deals with people who are trying to get the best deal for themselves or take what Kasango has. Your heart will break at what he has to go through.

At this point a little bit disclosure my feelings toward MAKALA shifted after I read the press notes. While I liked the film when I watched it blind, my attitude changed once I read the notes on the film. As is my norm I don't look at the notes and only do so if I want to check on some bit of information. In reading the notes, particularly the interview with director Emmanuel Gras my attitude changed.

While I know and understand that all documentaries fudge things, most obviously the directors choose what we see as well as compress events. Gras said that while Kasongo did what he normally would do he  and his crew controled when and how certain things were done, altering how things played out for the camera because they had only a limited time to record events. While I know that there is often that sort of thing going on saying it kind of  makes me wonder what was fudged. I suspect nothing, but still the doubts creep in and it colors what I think of the film. Part of the problem comes from having seen Jon Kasbe's WHEN LAMBS BECOME LIONS earlier in the year. Kasbe's approach was to spend lots of time with his subjects and to simply film and let things happen and then worry about it all later.

After reading the notes all I could think about was how did this effect what we see and how does it alter our perception of reality. Those are two questions you really don't want pinging around in your head when you have to be objective about a film.

The question now becomes where does that leave this review?

It leaves me keeping it simple and just saying that this is a very good observational documentary that is gorgeous to look at it. If you like this type of documentary it is recommended when begins a run at the Museum of Modern Art in New York tomorrow.

This is Congo opens Friday

Daniel McCabe's THIS IS CONGO is a shattering look at Congo and how it ended up in the middle of a seeming perpetual war. It is a documentary filled with the sadness that only a deep understanding of a situation can bring.

McCabe's masterful film seems to be very much what the title implies, a portrait of a country. With interviews with people from across the country and in various walks of life the film gives us a real sense of who the people of the country are. Additionally McCabe fills every frame with absolute breathtaking images that place us firmly with in the countries borders. From lovely picturesque vistas to over flowing toilets we see everything there is to see about Congo and as a result we come to understand more fully than simply hearing words.

Daniel McCabe need's be applauded. He has made a brilliant thoughtful film that gives us what we need to know from all sides. He does not give us histrionic people yelling their point of view but people who are in the country and are able to explain simply and succinctly what exactly is going on with the country. Rarely has any film I've ever run across had such a carefully selected group of talking heads. Best of all while McCabe decidedly has a point of view concerning the country he is smart enough not to wear his heart on his sleeve and lets us come around to his way of thinking.

The film is a masterpiece.

THIS IS CONGO has snuck up and bit me on the ass. Its one of those rare films where I didn't realize how good the film was until a day or so after seeing the film. As per my festival routine I watched the film, made some notes and when the film was done I wrote a review. I left a few things out and I knew I'd have to go back and tweak it. The funny thing is that a few hours later I found I couldn't stop thinking about the film. In replaying the film I couldn't shake the craft of the film that quietly snuck up on me. I eventually went back to the review I had prepared and tossed it out because it didn't quite tell you how gripping and important this film is.

One of the things that I didn't immediately catch was how the film is about more than just Congo. Yes, the film talks about all of the countries that crisscrossed through it over the centuries, but what is playing out in the country is a warning for not only other countries where big business and outside political interests have their hands rooting around, but also countries like America where divisions are fragmenting society.

I am in awe of this film and I know that I need another viewing to fully grasp everything that McCabe presents to us on every level.

If you can you must see this film when it plays this weekend in theaters across America because it will alter how you see the world.

This Is Congo (2017) DOC NYC 2017

Daniel McCabe's THIS IS CONGO is a shattering look at Congo and how it ended up in the middle of a seeming perpetual war. It is a documentary filled with the sadness that only a deep understanding of a situation can bring.

McCabe's masterful film seems to be very much what the title implies, a portrait of a country. With interviews with people from across the country and in various walks of life the film gives us a real sense of who the people of the country are. Additionally McCabe fills every frame with absolute breathtaking images that place us firmly with in the countries borders. From lovely picturesque vistas to over flowing toilets we see everything there is to see about Congo and as a result we come to understand more fully than simply hearing words.

Daniel McCabe need's be applauded. He has made a brilliant thoughtful film that gives us what we need to know from all sides. He does not give us histrionic people yelling their point of view but people who are in the country and are able to explain simply and succinctly what exactly is going on with the country. Rarely has any film I've ever run across had such a carefully selected group of talking heads. Best of all while McCabe decidedly has a point of view concerning the country he is smart enough not to wear his heart on his sleeve and lets us come around to his way of thinking.

The film is a masterpiece.

THIS IS CONGO has snuck up and bit me on the ass. Its one of those rare films where I didn't realize how good the film was until a day or so after seeing the film. As per my festival routine I watched the film, made some notes and when the film was done I wrote a review. I left a few things out and I knew I'd have to go back and tweak it. The funny thing is that a few hours later I found I couldn't stop thinking about the film. In replaying the film I couldn't shake the craft of the film that quietly snuck up on me. I eventually went back to the review I had prepared and tossed it out because  it didn't quite tell you how gripping and important this film is.

One of the things that I didn't immediately catch was how the film is about more than just Congo. Yes, the film talks about all of the countries that crisscrossed through it over the centuries, but what is playing out in the country is a warning for not only other countries where big business and outside political interests have their hands rooting around, but also countries like America where divisions are fragmenting society.

I am in awe of this film and I know that I need another viewing to fully grasp everything that McCabe presents to us on every level.

If you can you must see this film when it plays this weekend at DOC NYC because it will alter how you see the world.

You absolutely MUST see Cityof Joy (2016) at DOC NYC 2016

Raw visceral painful heart breaking joyous hopeful film about The City of Joy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a place where women can go to heal and find strength of the violence committed against them. It is one of the most vital, important and best films I have seen in 2016

Congo has been at war with itself for the better part of the last two decades. Spurred on by various governments and multinational corporations who want to control the countries vast mineral wealth (much of which is need for cellphones and computers) various factions have been shooting each other and the population up or enslaving them outright. The various forces outside the country have been funding factions inside the country in order to cause chaos so they can seize control of the countries natural resources. Since the country is in a state of war there is no regulation and the miners can pillage the land. Meanwhile the militias that roam the country kill who ever they want and commit acts of sexual violence against the women.

The film chronicles the founding of City of Joy by Dr. Denis Mukwege, Christine Schuler Deschryver and Eve Ensler who were moved to so something after the sheer weight of the violence against women in Congo became too much to bear. They had to do something, and so they set up a place where the women could be safe , be taught how to overcome the trauma and become empowered to change themselves and the country. It is a ray of light piercing the darkness that is much of Congo.

A mix of pained stories and of hope, CITY OF JOY is a truly special film. A visceral gut punch  this is one of those rare treasures that will have you crying from sadness one minute and laughter the next. Director Madeleine Gavin beautifully modulates the the film so that we are always aware that  the terrible things that have happened to these women, while never letting us forget that it is possible to rise up and become something strong. We watch them cry and we watch them smile- and most importantly we watch the tears become laughter.

How do I talk about this film? How do I critique it?  I don't think it's possible. CITY OF JOY simply over comes any reservations one might have by simply chronicling how people can be stronger than the situations we are put into. It is a shining reminder that there are still good people in the world.

I can not praise or recommend this film enough. One of the absolute must sees not only at DOC NYC but also in 2016.

Go see it.

For tickets and more information go here.