Here are brief reviews of some of my favorite films from this month’s DOC NYC festival.
“My Sweet Land” is a briskly paced, beautifully edited portrait of an 11-year-old Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian boy caught with his family in the series of wars against Azerbaijan which have greatly reduced the land that was once part of Armenia. The boy is remarkably positive given the circumstances and follows the news of the war with a seriousness you don’t often witness in children his age. Returning from a brief exile he and his family must contend with the thousands of unexploded mines left in their homeland–a brutal fate so many war-torn countries continue to suffer. Director Sareen Hairabedian’s found an ideal protagonist whose love of life and his homeland is tempered only by the possibility (his grandmother says) that he will soon be fighting in yet another war. You can see it beginning this Friday, November 29 at the Laemmle in Glendale, California. Go here for times and ticket info.
“Yalla Parkour” is filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter’s personal essay about how communication with young Palestinian parkour athletes have helped her to deal with memories of her late Palestinian mother. Now living in the U.S., she watches videos of the young men practicing their dangerous acrobatics in bombed out buildings in Gaza. Though filmed before October 7, 2023, the documentary is a powerful testament to the resilience of Palestinians finding meaning and hope in the open air prison they have been trapped in for years. Winner of the International Competition prize at DOC NYC.
“Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story” is easily one of the best literary bio-docs I’ve ever seen. The great Irish novelist died this past summer at age 93 and the film includes what must be her last interview. O’Brien came from a repressive upbringing and escaped from a husband who was jealous of the literary success she met after the publication of her scandalous first novel, “The Country Girls,” in 1960. Her London apartment became a literary salon with parties visited by celebrities from around the world. Crime novelist Walter Mosely testifies to what a great fiction teacher she was when he attended a class she taught at the City College of New York. The doc is narrated by the great actress Jessie Buckley, whose readings from O’Brien’s diaries lend incredible warmth to the fascinating story of a novelist ripe for rediscovery by young readers today.
“Diane Warren: Relentless” is an entertaining account of the career of one of the most successful pop songwriters ever. Warren survived a childhood of bullying to write hits for Cher (“If I Could Turn Back Time”), LeAnn Rimes, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand and dozens more. Her home studio is a huge mess of gear, cassettes (she still uses them for demos) and detritus–an anarchic environment that serves her creativity well. Her friends and colleagues all attest to what an eccentric dynamo she is and at age 68 there is no sign she is slowing down.
Director Carla Gutiérrez’s “Frida” is a wonderful introduction to the legendary Mexican artist Frida Khalo, featuring a wealth of information from her own diaries and beautifully evocative animations based on her artwork.