XIXI (2024) Hot Docs 2024

After graduating from film school in Europe director Fan Wu decided to travel across Europe instead of taking the good girl track. While at a dance festival in Berlin she discovered Xixi a Chinese improvisational dancer. They became friends and after several years Wu turned her correspondence and footage into a portrait of the dancer.

This is as close to a subject as you are going to ever get in a film. From the opening moments we are “in the face” of Xixi. At the start it is literal as we go with her to pick up her daughter and later we are tied to the hip as we go through her days.  The result is a enlightening film  that truly lets us walk in the shoes of another.

I really liked this film a great deal. While the seeming lack of boundaries can be a bit jarring, I love that the film doesn’t shy away. We really get to know Xixi and everything about her life.

And we also get to know about Fan Wu as well. Its clear that the two women are sisters and have a connection to each other. Listening to them speak to each other this is not a relationship of biographer and subject but just two friends hanging out. It is this closeness that allows us to get so close to Xixi and what makes this film something special.

Worth a look.

Unsyncable (2023) Hot Docs 2023

This is good time with good people.

This is a portrait of a group of senior citizens who remain active and engaged by spending time performing synchronized swimming. While it’s not a late in life choice many thought they would be making, the reality is that it is something that has  brought them great delight.

I just loved this film. It is a film that made me smile from start to finish. As I said at the start its good time with great people, while that may not sound like much, it is actually everything since is showing us these wonderful people we see that there is hope for our own golden years, that we don’t have to sit and be alone, but that we can strive and thrive.

See this film and feel good

Razing Liberty Square (2023) Hot Docs 2023

The problem the poor, the minorities and the disenfranchised have had over the years is that even when they have been shunted to certain areas over the years, the rich and powerful will eventually come and try to take their land and their homes. In many cases the rich want to add to their territory (See RACIST TREES) and just want the poor out of their way. In the case of Miami Florida, they know the sea levels are rising and they want the high ground for themselves.

RAISING LIBERTY SQUARE is the story of global warming and how the high ground near Miami Beach has suddenly become valuable because at some point it will be the beach. This means everyone who has ocean front property now will have to move. The film follows how plans to up grade the the Liberty Square area which are supposed to be a boon for everyone turned into a boondoggle and nightmare for the people being displaced.

This film is going to make you shake your head and get angry. This is a film that clearly shows you should never trust rich people when there is something at stake that they actually want. Following the lives of residents and people involved with the plans it becomes clear that many people have an agenda beyond the good of the community. 

While it's a story we've kind of heard before the fact that rich people and cities are going to be coming for people's land because it's not going to be underwater is  something new. This film is a dire warning about what the future is going to hold for millions of people across the globe.

Recommended

Eurodonbas (2022) Hot Docs 2023

 

Eurodonbas is one of the best films playing at Hot Docs and one of the most important films you will see all year.  The film is the story of the Donbas region of Ukraine which has been invaded and occupied by the Russian army. It’s the story of a region that was developed by foreigners for  old Imperial Russia and then claimed by the Soviets as an example of their greatness.

I was floored by EURODONBAS. I say that as someone who did a side study of Russian History in college. Some how the fact that the whole region was essentially developed by the Belgians, The English, The Americans and others was left out of the histories that I read. As such the stories of the ever changing tales of the history of the region were left out.  I never heard of how the Soviets would show the factories and building say they were made by Soviets while all the writing was in the language of whatever country that has built it.

What makes the film so important is that in revealing the history of the region it links up the past to the present. We see why the region is so important to Russian and why everyone living in it views their history as they do.  The film puts the current events into a historical context so we understand things better.

But don’t let that scare you off because this film is a great deal of fun. There are a lot of good stories that are just really damn interesting to hear, regardless of how they connect to current world events.

Put this film on your must see list.

Highly recommended.

WHO’S AFRAID OF NATHAN LAW? (2023) Hot Docs 2023

The answer to the title question is the government of China. They fear the young man and his friends as if he were the boogeyman. There is a very good chance that if the Chinese could remove him and other pro-democracy protesters with out it causing an uproar, they would do so in an instant. 

This is the story of Law and his fellow protesters who decided to fight the Chinese draconian rule of Hong Kong.  They didn't want to live in a city where dictators ruled with an iron hand.

This is one of the best docs I've seen on the uprising in Hong Kong. While there have been many others, some being biographies of people involved, some filled with on the ground footage, this is the first one that I've run across that has managed to be both in the moment and a step back. Its a film that puts us in the fight and gives us a bit of context so that we can understand what happened and what is happening and why. 

This film is so good that even if you've seen other films on the Hong Kong Uprising you need to see this one.

Recommended.

BLUSH (2022) and ANHELL69 (2022) Hot Docs 2023

BLUSH
An audio recording of two friends making their first trip a a K-Market totally glammed up is turned into an animated film of two astronauts traveling the universe to go shopping.

Seemingly out of place film for Hot Docs is turns out to be a delight. What the hell is this doing at a doc fest- this should be playing every fest.

This is a small joy of a film.

ANHELL69
Essay/documentary about the LBGT community in Columbia. It is one part a celebration of the people it profiles and one part a look remembrance of people lost.

ANHELL69 is a one of a kind film. It is a mix of straight documentary interviews of people in the LGBT community in Columbia mixed with hypnotic essay sequences about death, ghosts, and related things that put us into a headspace that is unlike any other.  This is a trip inside the mind and body of director --- that has a tactile quality to it. We aren’t in a theater watching this film but in a city, or in the rooms where the interviews are happening.  I was transported to another place which looks like a city somewhere but in reality has the feel of being somewhere else.

I’m kind of in love with ANHELL69 simply because it made me feel and experience things in a completely new way. Watching several of the sequences I wasn’t sure where I was or what I was seeing. Not because it was alien but because the way that – was process the sound and images was somehow different. The way music and image and dialog and image and narration and image and silence and image mixed created a visceral reaction that opened up my mind and senses

While not for all audiences, ANHELL69 is a singular cinematic vision and recommended.

Revir Everything You Hold Dear (2023) Hot Docs 2023

A document of the dysfunctional relationship between a brother and sister who make a living doing taxidermy.

Watching REVIR I was pondering how it was that the filmmakers came upon the brother and sister at the heart of the film and how it was that they  agreed to let their lives be filmed.  It’s not that there is anything wrong or bad in what we see except their damaged psyches,  but more that they are very open and what we see is really raw. It’s clear through everything we see that there is a lot of baggage and it’s kind of uncomfortable seeing it unpacked before us. Kudos to director Peter Hammer for making this happen because it gives us an insight into two damaged individuals.

As much as I am in awe of how this film gets into the head and hearts of its subject, I find that I like the film more than loved it. It’s not that there is anything wrong, actually the filmmaking is top shelf, rather this is not my type of film.

My feelings aside this is really good and recommended.

THE CEMETERY OF CINEMA (AU CIMETIÈRE DE LA PELLICULE) (2023) Hot Docs 2023

CEMETERY of CINEMA is the story of filmmaker traveling across his home country of Guinea, other places in Africa and finally France. He is looking for a print of MOURAMANI which is supposed to have been the first film shot in his country by filmmaker Thierno Souleymane Diallo 

I absolutely love most of this film. The film is not only a glorious celebration of cinema, but also kick ass history of Guinea. It may seem unexpected but in looking for the film and what may have happened to it we are required to look into the history of his country since the societal shifts may have been responsible for the films disappearance and perhaps indicating a possible hiding place for it. The result of all the searching is a series of conversations and encounters that open up our eyes with unexpected turns.

What an absolute joy.

As much as I love the actual searching and encounters I’m mixed on some of the flourishes that director Diallo inserts into the film. There is a lot sequences where  he walks from place to place that wear thin rather quickly. Other bits add coloring but don’t need to be there.

Over all though this is a must for anyone who loves cinema and those looking for its importance to the culture of a country. This film makes clear that our heritage shouldn’t be allowed disappear.

Recommended

Echo Of Everything (2023) Hot Docs 2023

ECHO OF EVERYTHING is a trip. My basic attitude is just buy a ticket and take a ride, but since that doesn’t really work for a review, let me talk for a couple of minutes.

ECHO is a meditation on the nature of music, or it starts off as a meditation/essay on the nature of music and then goes off into all sorts of unexpected places like the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Nominally it is an illustrated talk where director Cam Christiansen‘s talk is illustrated by Andy Curtis in Caligari like make up and segments with different musicians whose music help to illustrate the points he is making.

It’s very hard to really explain what this film is because the film isn’t a film, but a trip. Where we get on to the train of celluloid is not where we get off. The film changes as it goes along. More importantly the film changes us as we go along. Whether you like the film or not the sheer act of seeing  THE ECHO OF EVERYTHING is going to alter your DNA. The questions it raises, and the thoughts it puts before you will force you to engage with them and as you wrestle with the implications of each point your view of “everything” changes. You are not the same person you were at the start.  This isn’t am idle statement, but the truth since each piece of information builds on the last. It’s like a perfectly selected play list of music and ideas meant to your head and heart dancing in a new direction.

I can only imagine what second and third or more viewings will result in since, as I said above, everything builds on everything else.

And while that may make the film sound overly heady, it isn’t. It is instead a fun ride that delights you in the best ways. Its such a blast to just watch, that odds are you aren’t going to realize that it got your mind going until sometime after the end credits have finished rolling and you find you are still thinking about the film.

What an absolute delight.

A must see.

Cynara (2023) Hot Docs 2023

CYNARA is a hell of a film. The film is the story of Cindy Ali who called the police after her house after a home invasion.  She was knocked unconscious and her daughter Cynara who had cerebral palsy died. The paramedic who arrived on scene wasn’t comfortable with what he saw and Cindy ended up convicted of killing her daughter, however it became clear that it wasn’t as clear  as the police were making it out to be and that that some of the testimony was dead wrong. 

You will not be able to look away from CRYNARA once it gets going because you will have to see how it all comes out. What happens is not what you think and by the time you get to the end of the film you will still have a ton of questions. As this film makes clear life is not neat and easily slotted.

Told with a mix of interviews and recreations the film truly puts us into the middle of the case. Told as the case is heading toward an appeal for a new trial, director lays it all out for us. It’s clear that things are not as cut and dried as the police make out (I mean the paramedic instead there was snow on the walk way when photos show there was none) …and most amazingly the film, rightly, leaves questions as to Cindy‘s story.  Weeks on from seeing the film and I’m still trying to figure out what exactly happened.

This is wonderful puzzle box of a film and you need to see it.

One of the must sees of Hot Docs it is highly recommended.

Rowdy Girl (2023) Hot Docs 2023

This is a look at a farm family who decided to get away from raising animals and switched to more environmentally sound farming of plants.

This is a good look at how some people are looking to treat animals ethically and switch all plant based diets. We watch as the couple spread the word about ethical farming. How you react to the film will depend upon how you feel about a world without meat. My personal opinion is that this is a good film, but the years long battles I’ve had with friends about veganism have taken it’s toll and I have a hard time rehashing battles I’ve had in my own life. If  that sort of thing doesn’t bother you ROWDY GIRL is definitely worth a look.

Coven (2023) Hot Docs 2023

A look at young women who are attempting to reclaim the word witch as something other as being something evil. They are seeking to return the notion of what a witch is back toward a healer and a spiritual person in touch with nature and the universe.

Coven is a good film. While it hues close to the expected course on the subject it still manages to throw its net wider than most similar studies by taking in related matters from other cultures. This is the sort of film that is going to find it’s audience among young women who are looking for outside of the so-called conventional spiritual channels.

If I am going to quibble about the film it’s going to be that while Laura who is the main focus of the film is a charming young woman we would follow anywhere, the fact that she has a “goth” like appearance is going to make some people think that the film is less than it is.  That would be a mistake on their part since this film has a great deal to say about the path to becoming one with the universe.

Recommended

Hot Docs 2023 runs April 27 to May 7

 

Opening Thursday  is the always glorious Hot Docs.  This is for me the first indication of what the year will be in regard to documentaries since a lot of films get their start at this love fest of things that are real.  I truly love this film festival as it brings together many of the best docs from the first part of the year together in a smorgasbord of cinematic goodness.

I’m having a blast going through all the films I’ve been sent. The best of that bunch of films are as follows.

EURODONBAS is a look at the Donbras region of Ukraine, particularly its history as the place that was developed by countries other than Russia. It will open your eyes.

CYNARA a murder mystery about a mother accused of killing her daughter an whether she did it or not.

ECHO OF EVERYTHING while nominally about music it speaks volumes about  everything.

WHO'S AFRAID OF NATHAN LAW?  is a look at the leader of the Hong Kong  protests.

UNSEEN is a look at Pedro an undocumented man trying to earn his social work degree. Told in a style that frequently mirrors his limited sight, the film truly puts us in the shoes of someone else for a while.

At the same time the fest is screening some of the many docs I’ve seen in the last year and if you want to see some great stuff you could do worse than wading into any of these films.

20 Days in Mariupoul

EL Equipo

Angel Applicant

Iron Butterflies

Is there anybody out there

Satan Wants you

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

A Still Small Voice

This World Is Not My Own

Twice Colonized

Do yourself a favor and make the trip to Canada and see some great films.

Buy tickets here and see some movies