Debut film that was nominated for Outstanding Debut British Film at recent BAFTA's out March 3rd in cinemas.
A fascinating documentary into a life in remote Norway of a man diagnosed with electrosensitivity, a condition that effects approximately 3% of the world's population according to statistics from World Health Organisation.
Director Marie Liden who shoots intimately and with humility towards her subject, William aged 40. William has been diagnosed with the condition in his adult life, so we find him amid the turmoil of adjusting to the everyday abnormality he finds himself in - having to be cut off from the family in a man-made cave to stave off the threat of electricity.
In essence, this shows how to live off the grid but when the grid is everywhere, the melancholy felt by the lead character is paramount you really get a sense to the loss of interaction he is feeling, his being alone hits home and for us who had to endure lockdown for a number of months for a great number of people that sense of not belonging and being cut off is an everyday occurrence and one that is real and haunting.
As William dons a blanket, he appears as a nomadic folk ghost wandering around his makeshift home, listening to an ever-burgeoning CD collection of music. He sits in a parking lot while his mother shops and his use of a meter to show the levels of radiation makes clear the pressure and fear of radiation upon him is.
This documentary is a real winner, full of charm and craft but also a message that perhaps we do take our life for granted too often. Think of those others who are less fortunate be it less in terms of monetary value but also the missing out on the everyday interaction with people.
Electric Malady treats William nobly and without judgment, it is tactful in considering his situation.
Out in cinemas from 3rd March, seek this heartfelt documentary screening at ICA London and DocHouse
Appearing in cinemas from 24th February, Charm Circle is a labour of family love for New York based film-maker Nira Burstein.
Charm Circle offers an intimate glimpse into Burstein's family's eccentric lifestyle in the place called Charm Circle, a suburb of Queen's the lesser known or portrayed borough of New York City.
Burstein offers us an unfiltered glimpse into her family, exploring the divisions and the emotional connections between her parents and her sister's upbringing by incorporating archive footage from decades-old home videos and contemporary footage. This paints a family portrait about the ties that bind and bond people together, and how the place you grow up in affects your upbringing.
Burstein films with an affectionate but intriguing eye, as with documentaries the camera lingers longer on subjects than they would in narrative cinema. This allows us to see individuals naturally act with their defences down - this boldness and frankness in their depiction shows the parents' eccentricities front and centre and this is a credit to Nira the filmmaker who is able to maintain a closeness to her parents as the protagonists of the narrative and yet be able to be critical when required.
Eye-opening and personal, making this universal for all who view it, Charm Circle is a film where there is something for everyone to take away from it - you learn about Jewishness and the daily battle of mental illness as suffered by one of Nira's sisters. In life, there is so much that is considered taboo that you cannot talk about seemingly, yet in a family nothing is taboo and this openness is refreshing to view.
The film is produced by Fred Armisen, a SNL veteran, who has form in morphing into very eccentric characters and you can imagine Armisen portraying him in a spin-off feature should that occur. Armisen's work in Documentary Now and Portlandia, marries to this offbeat portrayal of family life and has spoken of his love for how the depiction of the parents is so unexpected.
As for the director, Burstein has a long history of directing several narrative short films and music videos, Charm Circle is her feature documentary debut and it provides a unique look at family life by the family themselves. A film is a joy full of heart and one that will stay with you long after you leave the Burstein's small piece of New York utopia. At a breezy 79 minutes this film is sure worth your time.
Charm Circle is out on limited release on 24th February.
A list of screenings at DocHouse can be found here
SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN available on Demand in UK
from 9th December
When Morgan Spurlock went on a life changing odyssey involving eating nothing but McDonalds for one calendar month, many could not believe what would happen and the gradual sea change he helped document in the renowned Super Size Me.
What started as a joke, became a global phenomenon turning Spurlock from a guy with a punchline of an idea into a respected film-maker culminating in garnering an Academy Award nomination (losing to Born into Brothels) for Best Documentary Feature.
Spurlock is back and this time he is attempting to open up a fast food restaurant serving fried chicken which is now grilled chicken (the same thing), and going into how branding warps consumers minds with key words and colour spelling. All at a perfectly reasonable price.
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken (graphics by the team behind Despicable Me) is available on demand in the UK from this Monday 9th December from Samuel Goldwyn Films.
My thanks to AR:PR Publicity for the preview opportunity.
Scottish documentarian Mike Day's film about the Faroe Islands tells an evocative tale about the connection between the islanders and the need to live off the sea around them; the whales are a source of nourishment as well as income and livelihood.
Yet in recent years this relationship is coming under strain due to a depletion in numbers of whales being caught but the toxicity of the whales putting the well-being of the islanders at risk due to the high poisonous levels within them.
The film has brilliant access to the community showing how closely connected to the sea and to nature the people are embedded in terms of tradition, and how the news of toxicity is putting a conflict into many people especially in mind for the children and future generations.
The film has some wonderful landscape cinematography which coupled with an amenable eye on the community makes for a brilliant combination. It has been a labour of love for director Day, who has taken 5 years of covering the native Faroese to making this winning documentary.
Mike Day - Director
It reminded me of another film in the same vein Village at the End of the World (Sarah Gavron, Denmark/UK, 2012) which also showed the relationship between a village reliant upon the sea but the sea that bites back. A tale for our times in light of recent news about the polluting of our worldwide seaways, and how we have to take greater care of our world and its creatures.
There is a special screening with Q&A taking place at Picturehouse Central with Mike Day and Channel 4's Jon Snow on March 29th in readiness for the cinematic release.
Appearing at the East End Film Festival on June 17th at the Hackney Picturehouse, an incisive unique documentary by three British film-makers, Follow The Money marks its European premiere.
Follow the Money tells the story of three British men - John Hardwick, Steve Boggan, Ben Unwin - who travel to America and decide to follow a $10 dollar bill around the United States of America interviewing and following people who gain possession of the note. They start in the very centre of America and from there they encounter people of all creeds and colours, shapes and sizes. From farmers to rodeo riders, from British students in Texas to transgenders in California.
The film which begins on a whimsical idea becomes this other narrative of people becoming happy with their existence, it is an element of luck that they encounter the man who in his words 'hitch-hiked from Iran to America for 19 months' and now runs a highly thought of guitar store in San Francisco.
The most thoughtful moments come from a Native American in Dakota who says the intrepid trio are on a journey searching for bliss or the transient man who is happy to still being chasing his dream albeit when living out of his car. They encounter people who have to encounter race relations, sexual relations, notions of being gay in America to poor people.
What comes across the film which is shot through hand-held cameras, mobile phones using a lovely Sepia old-time filter for the showing of moments from a by-gone era - is a genuine warmth for the country they are visiting and navigating.
You also get a sense of the bewilderment of travelling with the wind, not knowing where you are going to end up and yet there is a good feeling towards these foreign strangers from all Americans, there is a can do attitude from all who are happy to share stories and tales with the interviewers.
In this day and age of fear and terrorism, the sense of Love Thy Neighbour comes firmly across through the power of story-telling, story sharing and friendship with a fascination over the unbelievable. Follow The Money is a feel good documentary that will leave you with moments of reflection and pride instead of the usual negative emotional tropes associated with the documentary form.
Follow The Money screens as part of the East End Film Festival on Saturday 17th June
A glowing documentary that follows the post-NFL career of New Orleans Saints specials teams player, Steve Gleason, who shortly after retirement is diagnosed with ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sceloris or Lou Gehrig's Disease - and how his once physical body quickly detoriates and a sound literal mind slowly vanishes over a year.
The director Clay Tweel is lucky in respect that an unsung player such as Gleason becomes this incredible walking and talking document about the human spirit and how we can overcome. Tweel is the director and editor of the film, yet the narrator and producer of the content is Gleason himself; a sportsman who does not suffer from vanity or brand awareness, Gleason documented much of his life by means of videotaping or camera phone from his teenage years to college days to archiving his off-season trips overseas when experiencing adventure holidays.
This zest for life continues for Gleason in his retirement and led to him meeting his rock, Michel, a free spirit too who becomes his wife and mother to their son, Rivers. Their relationship is one of enlightenment and joy, and then Steve starts feeling pains in his arms and chest.
After the diagnosis, Michel becomes pregnant and they go on a two month road trip to Alaska, on this trip Steve's body starts diminishing which hurts Michel yet Steve is eager to not have it stop him experiencing life to the full. Steve starts a video blog for his unborn child - teaching him about relationships and family, and also a video diary of his day-to-day realisation that he is slowly going more inward as the condition takes hold.
What set Steve Gleason apart from other NFL players was his determination and drive to achieve, Gleason played linebacker at college for Washington State, however, he was considered too small for the position in the professional game yet his speed and desire to win led him to be drafted by the New Orleans Saints who utilised him as a special teams gunner, a player who specifically attacks the punter when he kicks the ball away to attempt a turnover or block to regain possession for the offence.
In the annals of the Saints franchise, Gleason has a play for which he is synonymous - the blocked punt of the Atlanta Falcons' punter in the first few minutes of the first game back at the New Orleans Superdome following the horror of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The game was September 25th 2006, and Gleason's play became christened 'The Rebirth' and helped galvanised a city and fanbase that desperately needed something to cheer about. Much is made about the way Gleason played, with a hunger and a controlled anger, coming from a broken home his Dad alludes to the fact that the field of play allowed Steve to be cathartic and let out his anger.
Gleason's Dad also says maybe the illness stems from the way Steve played - so hard, so fast - yet ALS is apparent in adults not on the physical level of Gleason and there is no discussion on the CTE discussion so prevalent in the NFL currently.
Nonetheless, the film is a moving document on the treatment of ALS and the fight Gleason shows is paramount to him overcoming his illness as best he can becoming more of an inspiration in retirement than he did when playing - his foundation Team Gleason raises money to help similar ALS sufferers to go on trips with family and he went to Congress to pass the Gleason Act meaning the technology to help ALS sufferers talk via computers be available on Medicare; a legacy perhaps far more reaching than a blocked punt. The punt was a second was a moment; the Act will live on and help far more people.
The film takes time to show the tragedy of the illness on the Gleason family, how Michel has to cope with a newborn child and an ill husband; the living grief she suffers as a chasm slowly comes between their loving relationship yet she is able to grow as an artist and be extrovert in that respect whilst supporting Steve.
There is also a telling sub-text on the dichotomy and difficulty of father-son relationships; how Steve's with his own father has altered over time due a difference of opinion on faith and religion, yet they have slowly grown closely together due to the illness. This is juxtaposed with the closeness Steve - who will be unable to touch and talk to his new son - and how he endeavours to create a vital relationship by way of his video diary and creating a bond by any means. Gleason due to his intellect also becomes an insightful interviewer such as the moment he asks Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam, Gleason's favourite band and huge supporters of his cause) about his own absent father bringing the rock and roll star to tears himself.
A complex subject is given a touching and emotional documentary which at times will have you tearing up, yet Gleason remains an uplifting film about the overcoming of obstacles in your life, how only you yourself can create the legacy you want to leave behind and how debilitating illness does not necessary mean the end of the road. This is as much a film about patience and how it pays off if you have it.
Gleason is released in cinemas on Friday 17th March from
Released from Dogwoof Entertainment on DVD this Monday 30th January, the Oscar-nominated Life, Animated tells the story of a young man, now aged 23, who is graduating after overcoming the debilitating condition of autism from the age of 3 years old; and how the watching of classic Disney movies helped him overcome his affliction and interact with the world especially his parents and family who feared they had lost him 'to the prison of autism'.
Directed by Roger Ross Williams, the film follows Owen Suskind who from the age of 3 was diagnosed with autism and how his parents Ron/Cordelia learnt that Owen through watching Disney films - Peter Pan, Aladdin, The Lion King - understood emotions of empathy, love and friendship; whilst his motor skills were slower he could process through the oeuvre of Disney pictures a place in society and how Owen fits into this real world.
The film is cautious to show Owen with his therapists and how wary they are about how his worldview may be clouded by the Disneyfication, how perhaps there may not always be a happy ending. This notion is put sharply into context when Owen and his girlfriend, Emily after a three-year relationship full of hugs and cutesy emotion is ended (somewhat abruptly) by Emily. This prompts Owen to ask, 'Why is the world full of pain and tragedy?' to his Mum on the phone, but this is part of Owen's learning that the world is not like the fantasy of Disney and can be cruel and big.
The film uses original animation sequences to show the formative years of Owen and his growing up in hand drawn storyboards. These sequences are endearing coupled with the story Owen wrote as a young boy called 'The Land of the Lost Sidekicks' incorporating the fact that following a brief episode of bullying at a special needs school, Owen felt less of a hero and more of a secondary character in his own narrative like a Baloo, Rafiki, Iago.
As a documentary film, this is the perfect format for such a delicate matter where certain viewers may still be ignorant of autism and its affects on behaviour, yet the film credibly attempts to show you the effects on the rest of the family including a poignant moment for Owen's brother Walt on the occasion of his 26th birthday, when he reflects on a time when his parents may not be around and he will have to protect Owen himself. The genuine warmth and affection between the family radiates off the screen throughout and is a real joy to witness.
The drawbacks on the film although minor is how does Owen interact with other films (although Casper is on his shelf) even alternative animation fare or is it just Disney films he watches regularly; no mention is made of the Pixar catalogue when a film like Toy Story about growing up and becoming responsible would ring true to Owen.
Delicately handled and beautifully edited Life, Animated is a vital portrait of a condition that the majority still are reluctant and ignorant to address.
