Movie #1877 ........................."The Edge of Democracy"

Movie #1877 "The Edge of Democracy" --- this one was another hard one to watch for a different reason ---- it is a cautionary tale possibly about what would happen if King Trump wins the next election by cheating and his enemies (which is about 50 percent of this country, at least) gather in the street, protest and refuse to leave the streets until something is done --- OR  King Trump loses the next election and refuses to get out of the white house.  What happens in Brazil in just a few years ago I could see as a nightmare that could happen in our country --- it's like the title --- just on the edge of democracy, but it is a fragile place to be for Brazil  because they had  a president  (Lulu) that they liked  because  he was their first president (from having a dictator)  and he made  their  life easier, but he did  his work  through corruption,  so people with integrity started  to speak up and try to vote him out --- when it is hard to get rid of him, the two party system hates each other so much, they go to the streets and lawlessness prevails.  We know in the US  we have to take the loss of the impeachment and move on  and win at the ballot box, but if that voting is  not legally  done, then lawlessness could prevail, and that's what I am afraid of in the next election.,  And this film got me thinking about it.  When truth no longer matters, when integrity is not as important as power and greed.......then  all our country has stood for, for years, can go out the window.  And that's what happened with Brazil.  But their democracy was not as old as ours --- so there is hope.

I must admit, I thought a lot about this film as I was watching it, but when it got into the corruption etc., I bailed out and didn't finish the film --- too over my head and I lost interest.  I would give it a 3 and I found it to be the weakest film  of these documentaries that were nominated for an Oscar.


"THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY"  2 hours and 1 min     2019

Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.

Director:

 Petra Costa

Writers:

 Petra Costa (screenplay), Carol Pires (co-writer)  | 2 more credits »

Stars:

 Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva 

Movie #1876 ........................."Honeyland"

Movie #18976 "Honeyland" (Macedenia)   -- this is definitely using an observational lens, so some aspects of this beekeeper's life and conflicts aren't always very clear.  Film starts to pick up about 15 mins in when this family of tons of kids and little respect for the  land and each other storm in to her area and literally take it over --- first with their noise, and then they worm their way in to her life and daily activities.  When beekeeping becomes a way to make money for them, they tune in especially, with very little respect for the bee.  My complaint here is that it just doesn't I've enough information along the way, but I found it quite instructive and enjoyable.  I'd give it 3.8 out of 5.



"HONEYLAND"   1 HOUR AND 36 MINS   2019

The last female bee-hunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood.

Directors:

 Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov

Stars:

 Hatidze Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam

Movie #1875 ........................."The Cave" (documentary)

Movie #1875 "The Cave"  (Denmark) This documentary covers basically the same subject is the one above, but it moves more slowly, answers less questions, and looks more staged in comparison .  It is still very effective and very very sad --- unlike "For Sama" it doesn't have the little baby girl to enjoy at times, and it doesn't use flashback so the editing can maneuver a less helpless tone throughout much of the film --- this one is so sad and helpless it makes it almost unwatchable --- When the high point is the gassing of this hospital, where countless numbers of little children are shown dying....... almost too much.  The underground hospital armed by student doctors is very amazing, but the narrator tells too little and her face shows very little --- There are some good arguments men use to the women doctors:  "You should be home with your husband and kids"  and "Women are tools of war."  I would give it a 4.  But this is tough to watch in so many ways!








"THE CAVE"      1 hour 47 mins    pg-13     2019

Amidst air strikes and bombings, a group of female doctors in Ghouta, Syria struggle with systemic sexism while trying to care for the injured using limited resources.

Director:

 Feras Fayyad

Writers:

 Alisar Hasan, Feras Fayyad

Stars:

 Amani Ballour, Salim Namour

Movie #1874 ........................."For Sama"

Movie #1874 "For Sama" -- a review on line that explains this so well....
"FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab's life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice - whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter's life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much. The film is the first feature documentary by Emmy award-winning filmmakers Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts."  This one is so tough to watch but everyone should see it.  The film changes times and uses flashback, but it is helpful to keep things moving along, and it is what makes the story epic.  I would give this a 5 out of 5.  I would vote for this one if I were in the academy.  (and there is another nominated film basically about the same project)


"FOR SAMA"    2019    1 hour and 36 mins     Syria

FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.

Directors:

 Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts

Stars:

 Waad Al-Kateab, Hamza Al-Khateab, Sama Al-Khateab

Movie #1873 .........................."American Factory" (Documentary)

Next, Oscar-nominated Documentaries (which I always think are too long...):


Movie #1873 "American Factory"  -- I really found this film fascinating (but very long) --- but in comparison to a few of the other ones that are nominated in this category, this actually follows some kind of story line.  It covers so many topics concerning the working class/work place  ----importance of unions, the differences in the work ethic between the chinese and the u.s., "safety doesn't pay bills," machines taking place of people, the way companies work in China compared to us, what really is freedom, This is a very topical subject --- one we are continually wrangling with --- and it's wonderful how it covers all aspects of it.  A very informative film, and I think one that has a shot to win for this category.  I really like the idea of two countries coming together with so different attitudes but when coming together get mutual respect.  This movie proves it can happen --- I give this a 4 out of 5 stars.







"AMERICAN FACTORY"      1 hour and 50 mins       2019   documentary

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

Directors:

 Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Stars:

 Junming 'Jimmy' Wang, Robert Allen, Sherrod Brown 

Movie #1872 ........................."Memorable"

Movie #1872 "Memorable" (France) -- there usually is one movie nominated about alzheimer's and this is the one this time.  It is stop motion (like the first one) and once again that type of distortion of the characters fits the mental health of the main character.  This is so sad -- he can't recognize himself in a mirror, but his art lives on.  The pacing of the film was slow --- 3.5.



"MEMORABLE"    12 mins    2019

An aging painter and his wife struggle increasingly to cope with his advancing dementia.

Director:

 Bruno Collet

Writer:

 Bruno Collet

Stars:

 Dominique Reymond, André Wilms

Movie #1871 .........................."Hair Love"

Movie #1871 "Hair Love" (USA)  Dad has to do his daughter's hair for the first time --- enough said.  Adorable tribute to parenthood and very creative animation. 5 out of 5 stars


"HAIR LOVE"   7 MINS      2019

A father tries to do his daughter's hair for the first time.

Directors:

 Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr.  

Writer:

 Matthew A. Cherry

Star:

 Issa Rae