Some time around the 31st December 2015, I decided to watch more documentaries. The thought of adding more documentaries to my life had been around for a while at that time. However, for some odd reason it was at that day that I made the decision to take this plan more seriously. I hope to be watching around one doc per week in the future and this is where I’ll be discussing them. So if you too are longing to let the docs out, pick up your reading glasses and follow me on this endeavor.
Since this is my first entry, I haven’t really taken my plan into action yet but fortunately, I saw one documentary last night. Also, I saw two documentaries in December, so I will be mentioning those as well. I’m looking forward to continuing this resolution!
Going Clear – Scientology and the Prison of Belief: This movie is actually in my top 10 of movies from 2015 that I’ve seen so far. Scientology has always been a fascinating topic to me, mainly because it’s so obviously ridiculous yet terrifying at the same time. (As are so many other things that fascinate me, like North Korea). There have been so many rumors and stories about Scientology over the years, but none of them have had the same impact on me as this well-researched piece of film. Going Clear features an astonishing amount of interviewees that have ranked high in the hierarchy of Scientology and they share a lot information that hasn’t gone public before yet. For instance, the absurd connection between a few celebrities and Scientology finally makes sense to me; for the first time I feel like I – at least partly – understand why they are still a part of the sect. When it comes to the editing and narrative, this is pretty much your standard documentary with a lot of talking heads, some documents and pictures and some private and other video footage. However, much of this footage is part of what makes this documentary interesting. Many people probably haven’t seen L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, talk and defend his sect in a video before. Or have seen footage from the huge scaled Scientology festivals and parties that take place every now and then. Kudos to this doc to let out the truth about an institution that I believe is nothing but an insult to true spirituality.
Super High Me – When I first heard about this movie, I was immediately intrigued. The idea of doing a Super Size Me with weed seemed so good that I wondered why no one had done it before. Well, I truly wish someone had done it before Doug Benson because he absolutely effed it up. At first, I was hopeful. The low video quality and initial lack of charisma from Benson seemed to be trivial – this idea is so good that the movie has to be at least a little interesting, right? I was wrong. This movie is bad. Just bad. It is poorly written (if there was any script at all), poorly filmed, poorly edited and even the sound is very bad. Why would you even do this with someone who regularly smoked weed before? Why is close to no relevant medical data being discussed? Why is most of the footage in this movie footage from not-funny stand-up performances by Doug Benson? But most importantly, why isn’t there more Zach Galifianakis in this movie?
Amy – Back in 2010, Asif Kapadia made me lose my cool for a movie about something as boring as Formula 1. The fact that he managed to do this with a documentary about something I neither had any knowledge of, nor any interest in, should have warned me of what was going to happen when I saw Amy. But to misquote this movie: Nothing can truly prepare you.
Amy is an amazing documentary and by far one of the best ones that have seen the light of day in the last few years. It is also currently contending against Mad Max to become my favorite movie of the year. Time will show which one will win in the end but just the fact that a documentary managed to get up there this year makes me insanely happy. It is also – hopefully – a testament to the fact that I’ve seen more docs last year than any other year of my life. (Even though that still wasn’t enough).
Amy isn’t just a film about a star or a film about a jazz singer. And it’s not just a film about really good music. Amy is a film about fame and also the first film to ever make me feel like I am peripherally grasping what it’s like to be famous. There are films like Almost Famous or I’m Not There or Walk The Line, films that show the downsides of musical fame and how easy it is to fall into drug addiction when you’re a famous musician. And there are films like The Doors that show how people can go crazy in this kind of environment. But I have never seen a film before that showed us how fame can trap a sensitive and lively person and just wear them down until they can’t go on anymore. The claustrophobia, the mistrust and loneliness, but especially the resignation that Amy Winehouse seems to have experienced, haven’t been captured in any movie that I’ve seen before. There was nowhere to go for her anymore, nowhere to hide and just be herself. The fact that she knows the joy that drugs can bring, combined with their ridiculous availability to a rich singer, is just so sad yet finally you can understand her drug addiction.
I truly think that this is a movie that should be shown in schools. I wish that I had seen something like this as a teenager. So many years of my life have been spent wishing I would become famous one day – and millions of other teens and even children share that dream. They should understand that fame in itself isn’t something anyone should be dreaming of. I also truly think that Asif Kapadia should make more movies.