Tag Archives: Documentary

Ascension (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Chinese Dream from bottom to top

Documentary film “Ascension”, which received an Oscar nomination in last week, is often mesmerizing in its restrained but effective presentation of the social/economic landscapes of the Chinese society. Because it simply looks at a number of various places and people … Continue reading

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MLK/FBI (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A close look into the FBI surveillance on MLK

Documentary film “MLK/FBI” is often compelling in its calm but sobering presentation of what happened between one great American figure and a very powerful government agency quite willing to suppress him by any means necessary. While it will not probably … Continue reading

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The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A haunting invocation between documentary and fiction

It is not so easy to categorize South Korean documentary film “The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin”, which was finally released in South Korean theaters in last week despite having its local premiere in 2019. At first, it simply seems … Continue reading

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Sewing Sisters (2020) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): When they were young and defiant laborers

South Korean documentary “Sewing Sisters” illuminates real-life stories which deserve to be told more and more as the hidden parts of the South Korean labor union history. As simply listening to the seemingly ordinary heroines of these real-life tales, the … Continue reading

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The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): The Rise and Fall of the Black Panthers

Stanley Nelson’s documentary film “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” shows a lot more about the Black Panthers than you may expect. To be frank with you, I once regarded the Black Panthers as nothing but a pesky and … Continue reading

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Attica (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Five Days in Attica, 1971

Documentary film “Attica” looks into the uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility, New York in 1971, and it tells and shows much more than what I vaguely knew about this incident. To be frank with you, I only came to … Continue reading

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The Forever Prisoner (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): It was torture indeed

HBO documentary “The Forever Prisoner” is often sobering and chilling in its calm but blistering presentation on what the US government allowed to happen in the name of War on Terror. While it did not surprise or shock you much … Continue reading

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The First Wave (2021) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their first several months with COVID-19

Matthew Heineman’s new documentary film “The First Wave”, which was recently included in the shortlist for Best Documentary Oscar, looks at a number of New York City hospital workers and patients who struggled a lot during the first several months … Continue reading

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Flee (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A simple but extraordinary animated documentary film

“Flee”, which was recently selected as the Danish entry to Best International Film Oscar, is a simple but extraordinary animated documentary film. As sensitively and thoughtfully examining one real-life Afghan immigrant’s past which has been suppressed at the corner of … Continue reading

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The Velvet Underground (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Todd Haynes’ dazzlingly idiosyncratic music documentary

Todd Haynes’ documentary film “The Velvet Underground”, which was released on Apple+ two months ago, takes an idiosyncratic approach to its main subject, and the result is quite interesting to watch. Although I must confess that I only know a … Continue reading

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