Film & Documentary
July 13, 2020
Letter from the editor:
This past Independence Day, Hyperallergic took a look at how the cinema of other countries has depicted the United States over the decades, and what lessons we might take from their approaches. In the context of mass protests against systemic injustice, it’s vital to look outside the usual institutional channels. On a similar note, Eileen G’Sell reviewed Good Trouble, a new documentary on longtime civil rights activist and politician John Lewis.
We also reviewed two recent films set in Japan: Werner Herzog’s latest is a doc/fiction hybrid about a service that allows you to “rent” actors to play family members; and fresh from Sheffield Doc/Fest, Serena Scateni reviewed Me and the Cult Leader, in which the director confronts members of a group that committed a terrorist attack which injured him decades before.
Meanwhile, a new season of the rebooted Twilight Zone is now available to stream. Read about how it grapples with the legacy of the original classic. And I talked to the Ross Brothers, the directors of Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, one of the best documentaries of the year. As long as cinema is quarantined online, Hyperallergic will be on top of everything streaming.
Until we can see you at the movies again, stay safe.
A John Lewis Documentary Probes Tensions Between National and State Power
For any American even mildly ignorant of the rich, complex legacy of Civil Rights within our decidedly disunited country, Dawn Porter’s John Lewis: Good Trouble should be mandatory viewing.
Eileen G'Sell
Stream Films That Offer More Critical Takes on “Liberty and Justice for All”
Since the early 20th century, the US has been a dominant force in visual media, often using it as a tool to impose its own culture on others and paper over its sundry atrocities with a shiny, heartwarming facade.
Dan Schindel
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Werner Herzog Follows a Company That Rents Actors to Play Your Family and Friends
Family Romance, LLC uses a Japanese rental family service to blur the line between reality and fiction.
Dan Schindel
Me and the Cult Leader, an Unlikely Story of Forgiveness
Atsushi Sakahara, the survivor of a terrorist incident, films his journey with the spokesman for the group that committed the attack.
Serena Scateni
The Ross Brothers Want to Make Messy Films
Directors Bill and Turner Ross talk about their new documentary Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets and how they created a “theater of people.”
Dan Schindel
How Lynne Sachs Turns Spoken Language Into Cinematic Language
A long-overdue retrospective of the feminist artist and filmmaker demonstrates how she explores communication in her work.
Serena Scateni
The Twists and Turns of the New Twilight Zone
While the series often falters, season two feels less self-conscious about its status in this iconic franchise, and more willing to simply be itself.
Dan Schindel
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