"SPELLBOUND"

"If you haven’t seen this, you don’t like documentaries."  - Ben Steinbauer (Film maker)

The remark above was all it took for me to finally watch "Spellbound" - a documentary about the American National Spelling Bee.

Eight teenagers hoping to win the Spelling Bee trophy are followed from their hometowns to Washington D.C.  Here, they compete to spell their way to victory, glory, and the American Dream.

Trophies and competition are practically synonymous with American culture, and for the competitors, the Spelling Bee represents a first step towards a successful life.  Most of them come from immigrant families, and express a strong desire to make something of themselves.  And where else is this possible but America: land of the free (as we're continually reminded), and country where anyone can excel with hard work?

Apart from the blatant flag-waving, "Spellbound" is an interesting slice of life.  It opens a door into an adorably geeky world, and shows the successes and failures of young teenagers in quest of their dream. Some you root for, some you pity (particually the ones with the over zealous parents), and some you cringe at.*

Despite being a little too long, the journey is entertaing, and you're keen to see who wins.  A feel-good film (particularly if you're American).

7/10

WATCH IT HERE

*And some should not even be featured in the film - like the boy who blatantly has Aspergers!

"TYSON"

"I'm a good person, but at that moment I was insane"
- Mike Tyson

Picture this:  82 minutes of Tyson's talking head, with some archival footage and photographs.

Boring, right?  According to commissioners, an audience is not going to watch a documentary where nothing happens.  But more a monologue than a documentary, this insight into boxing legend Mike Tyson moved me in ways I didn't expect.

How can a man famous for boxing, rape, and biting (off?) people's ears possibly say he's a good person?  As Tyson recounts events from his crazy life he reflects upon his character with a nakedness that is instantly disarming.  He has no problem analysing himself, and speaks about his early days as a fat, bullied child, the fear of humiliation this instilled in him, and how this fear became the fuel for his ferocious fighting spirit.  His meteoric rise to glory, his steady descent, his messy divorce, his rape conviction, his managers stealing his money, and the Hollyfield fight where he bit the man's ear  (twice) are all candidly addressed.

If I was a jury and this film was Tyson pleading his case, I'd be pretty tempted to let him walk free.  The man makes quite a convincing argument for everything that he's done.  And Hollyfield had it coming, right?  Definitely worth watching.

8/10
Watch it here

'THE BRIDGE'

"Tactlessly morbid or remarkably sensitive? Deeply disturbing or viscerally fascinating? Critics are divided on Eric Steel’s unique documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge, wonder of the modern world and notorious suicide destination." 

-Critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes 

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is one of the most popular places on earth to commit suicide.  In 2004 director Eric Steele filmed the bridge all day, every day, for the whole year.  He captured 23 suicides on camera.  He then tracked down the families of some of the people he had filmed jumping, and found out about their lives, and their motivations for killing themselves.  What follows is a difficult, moving, and controversial film about the darkest places the human mind can go.

In terms of it being a documentary about suicide, it is very well done.  I don't know any other film on the subject that creates as much empathy, or gives as much insight into the desire to take your own life.  The subjects range from the clinically depressed, to the mentally ill.  One of the interviewees is a jumper who survived the fall, and he reveals that as soon as he jumped, he realised he wanted to live.  It poses a very interesting question - is suicide preventable?

Which makes it difficult for me to write a critique of the film without considering how the footage was acquired. 

When people think of film making, they think of glamour, and excitement.  But actually, many film makers are motivated because they want to create something meaningful that will help others.  Because of this noble intention, a film maker will sometimes act against their own humanitarianism, believing the film's impact will justify the means.  I've kept the camera rolling in situations where people have broken down in tears.  My human instinct is to cut, but my film making instinct overrides that.

In this documentary, Eric Steele has taken things one step further, walking a fine line between observational film maker and... well... cold-blooded human (a man who could have done something).  'The Bridge' is a powerful film, but I honestly don't know if it was worth it.

No rating... How can you rate something like this?!  All I can say is that since it's been already made I would definitely recommend seeing it.

WATCH IT HERE

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

"This film is the story of what happened when this guy tried to make a documentary about me.... but he was actually a lot more interesting than I am.  So... now the film's about him!  It's not 'Gone with the Wind', but there's probably a moral in there somewhere."  - Banksy

So begins the first film to star the world's most commercially-successful enigma. 

Street Art has a cornerstone in my heart (my first film was a documentary on the Irish graffiti scene), so I've been eagerly anticipating a documentary about the Street Art movement.  And in spite of my own vague bias that Banksy "isn't as good as he used to be", 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' did not disappoint me.

Shop owner Thierry, is a French man living in L.A with his family.  He has one unusual habit - he films absolutely everything that happens to him and around him.  This obsession proves useful when Thierry discovers that his cousin is the world-famous French Street Artist 'Space Invader'.  He begins filming him, and his journey takes us on a street art tour of L.A.  Along the way we meet some of the giants in the Street Art scene - particularly Banksy and Shepard Fairy.  However, after some time, the excitement of hanging out with these talented, and commerically successful artists, begins to go to Thierry's head...

'Exit Through the Gift Shop' is fantastic for several reasons.  It's fun to watch, has a good story, and gives a consolidated overview of the Street Art movement (which is by no means an exhaustive overview, but it covers certain aspects very well).  On top of that, it poses interesting questions about the legitimacy of Art and the Art World (which graffiti writers and street artists tend to ridicule).

But for me, the best thing was the realisation afterwards that the whole thing was a hoax!  In a subversion of the mockumentary genre, the events in the film really happened (with one or two exceptions orchestrated especially for the film), but the protagonist (Thierry) is a fictitious character.  Street Art by its nature, pokes fun at anything that encourages people to be mindless - whether these are institutions or trends.  Banksy takes Street Art one step further, creating a film about duping that dupes us!  He even had the premiere in a tunnel near Waterloo Station (referred to as "London's darkest and dirtiest cinema") and I can just picture him laughing his head off at all the trendies who were paying money to sit in the cold and filth because they were thought it was cool (I would have sat there!). If only he hadn't done that terrible Simpson's intro, I would be tempted to call the man a genius.  Well done sir!

'AFGHAN STAR' (documentary)

A sweet film with a strong message.

For a culture that has reacted saturation-point with accursed reality-talent shows (thank you Simon Cowell), comes a singing competition with a difference.

Winner of the 2009 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award for Documentary, 'Afghan Star' is a feature-documentary about the Afghan answer to "Pop Idol". The film follows four characters as they compete in this competition, watched by approximately 11 million people.

The film borrows many of the tools used by the established TV show formats. It shows some of the terrible auditions, and gives us intimate access to the finalists. But that's where the similarity ends. The film explores the hopes, joys, and disappointments of two men and two women, but also gives a rich insight into Afghanistan's cultural and political history.

In Afghanistan, this simple singing competition means something. For many young people, it is the first time they have ever experienced democracy. They are allowed to vote. The finalists are from different ethnic groups, and two women are even in the competition. There is a feeling that for once, Afghan people are free, and anything is possible. However, not everything is rosy, and as the competition progresses, the women in particular express concerns for their safety.

I was aware that Afghan society was more liberal before '96 (when the Taliban took over, and brought in extremely repressive new laws*), but the reality of this knowledge doesn't hit until you see video footage of a student concert in Kabul in the 80's. A band are playing synthesised music, dressed in shiney 80's garb, and are headed by a female vocalist. Wow.

Without giving too much away, 'Afghan Star' is a little gem of a film. The finalists are interesting characters, and the simple joy that this singing competition brings viewers and fans is sensitive and funny. But underneath this there is a strong political and social message. It certainly made me rethink what the introduction of democracy there means.

9 out of 10, and a well-deserved Sundance award.

Watch it here on Youtube 4OD
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* By these, girls schools were closed, women were banned from working and forced to stay indoors unless accompanied by a close relative; and music, television and sport were banned.