Tag Archives: Documentary

Porcelain War (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Artists in the middle of the ongoing war in Ukraine

Posted on March 10, 2025 by kaist455

Documentary film “Porcelain War”, which won the U.S. Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival early in last year and then was recently nominated for Best Documentary Oscar, looks at the activities of several Ukrainian artists in … Continue reading →

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The Painter and the Thief (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): One painter and her messy muse

Posted on February 23, 2025 by kaist455

Norwegian documentary film “The Painter and the Thief” observes a complex human relationship between two total strangers who happened to get involved with each other under one extraordinary circumstance. As alternating between their different viewpoints, the documentary makes us reflect … Continue reading →

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Starring Jerry as Himself (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little family project

Posted on February 16, 2025 by kaist455

Documentary film “Starring Jerry as Himself” works as a sort of sincere public service while also being a little family project for its main human subject. For showing what happened to him a few years ago, the documentary takes a … Continue reading →

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Elton John: Never Too Late (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Entering the last chapter of his career

Posted on February 11, 2025 by kaist455

Documentary film “Elton John: Never Too Late”, which was released on Disney+ a few months ago, works whenever it focuses on what may be the last chapter of Elton John’s life and career. After all, considering that he is about … Continue reading →

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Black Box Diary (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As she steps forward as a survivor

Posted on February 3, 2025 by kaist455

Documentary film “Black Box Diary”, which received an Oscar nomination a few weeks ago, is a personal chronicle of one young female journalist who courageously stepped forward in public as the survivor of a high-profile case in Japan several years … Continue reading →

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Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (2024) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A Cold War plot behind jazz

Posted on February 3, 2025 by kaist455

Documentary film “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”, which was recently nominated for Best Documentary Oscar, is a superb presentation of the hidden aspects of a political turmoil in Africa during the early 1960s. While it is simply a collage of … Continue reading →

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Efterskole, Going to the Wonderland Korea (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Their freedom to look to the side

Posted on January 14, 2025 by kaist455

While watching South Korean independent documentary film “Efterskole, Going to the Wonderland Korea”, I could not help but reflect on how I was often driven by myself and my parents to do more and more study during my childhood and … Continue reading →

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Anselm (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): Inside Anselm Kiefer

Posted on January 13, 2025 by kaist455

Wim Wenders’ latest documentary film “Anselm” is as unconventional as you can expect from him. As he did in his previous documentary film “Pina” (2011), Wenders presents the artistry of his human main subject with considerable interest and thoughtfulness, and … Continue reading →

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Umberto Eco: A Library of the World (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): A brilliant mind surrounded by lots of books

Posted on January 12, 2025 by kaist455

When I was young and wild during the 1990s, I voraciously consumed any book good enough to intrigue my innocent and curious mind. At first, it was just a bunch of science books which were the origin of my current … Continue reading →

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Piece by Piece (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Merely pleasant and amusing

Posted on January 12, 2025 by kaist455

Morgan Neville’s new documentary film “Piece by Piece” is merely pleasant and amusing despite some novelty in the presentation of its main human subject. As that figure in question suggests early in the documentary, it surely sounds cool to present … Continue reading →

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