My Top Five: Documentaries

Documentaries are by far my favorite genre of film. I know everyone has their opinion of what makes a good documentary, but this is my own personal list of my top five favorites. There are others that I find compelling, astounding, insightful, and well executed, however, I wanted to narrow it down to a concise list of five. If you disagree with me, then feel free to start a debate!

#5. Through A Blue Lens:
(2003) National Film Board of Canada

Shot on the DTES (Downtown East Side) of Vancouver, this powerful film documents the interactions of police and addicts over a one year span. An interesting aspect of this documentary is 22 minutes of incorporated footage was shot by a group of Vancouver Police Department Officers called "The Odd Squad".

It depicts both police officers and people suffering from addiction in a different light and the connection between the officers and addicts is touching. I watched this film for the first time in my grade 12 psychology class and I still hold it in high regard as an excellent documentary. The issues covered in this documentary are close to my heart, as I work with marginalized women on the DTES and have witnessed, firsthand, the horrors of addiction and poverty on the people of my city.

FULL video in 6 segments: http://youtu.be/WTH1rbTeqyg?list=PLFD764F6D41B680E1

#4. Waiting For Superman:
(2010) David Guggenheim & Lesley Chilcott

Following several young students while they strive to be accepted into charter schools, this film heavily analyzes the American Public Education System. By examining several aspects of the public school system in America, such as the teacher's union and teaching standards; differences between primary and secondary school systems (state school, private school, and charter schools); comparisons are made between affluent and insolvent communities; and the conflicting bureaucracy between teaching expectations at the school, state, and federal level.

Of developed nations, American students rate last in math skills, yet when asked to guess their standing, Americans put themselves first. Some of the other statistics shown in the film are astounding: one school in Los Angeles, described as a "dropout factory" has been open for 40 years, has had over 60,000 students attend that school over that 40 year span, yet only 20,000 of those students actually graduated. Washington, D.C. scores the lowest in reading comprehension with only 12% of students reaching proficiency for their grade level.

The film demonstrates two important messages: (1) quality education is achievable, even for the most disadvantaged students; and (2) the cost is low, considering many high school dropouts turn to a life of crime. Here's a lovely price comparison for you:

"Pennsylvania spends $38,000 per year on each prisoner. With an average sentence of 4 years per inmate, the state spends over $132,000. Private school in the same state costs $8,300 per year, so the state could have sent that prison inmate to private school for K-12 and still had $24,000 left over."

I just watched this documentary today and it is definitely a must watch! Especially if you have children (even though I don't yet).

Official trailer: http://youtu.be/ZKTfaro96dg

#3. Crips and Bloods: Made In America:
(2008) Stacy Peralta

"30 miles from Disneyland... 6 miles from Beverly Hills, in the heart of Los Angeles, is a war zone..." Peralta dives beyond the general background and discusses the external factors involved that have fueled the two most notorious and violent African American gangs in the history of the United States. Through startling imagery, both still photos and video footage, and gripping interviews from former Crip and Blood gang members, this film forces its audience to take a hard look at several socioeconomic issues. I have seen this film many times and my favorite quote from the film is said by a man named Kumasi:

"...what message am I being fed, every day? See you don't understand that every day he's feeding me a spoonful of hatred... that's my diet, a spoonful of hatred. It's just a question of when is this going to erupt, and upon whom is this going to erupt? Am I going to attack myself? My brother? Or the cause of my anger and frustration?"

You may recognize Stacy Peralta as being known for his films about skateboarders and surfers, but the same sense of storytelling and visual style he had in Riding Giants and Dogtown and Z-Boys works extremely well with a heavier subject like this one.

Official trailer:  http://youtu.be/qN4pP-1NWoA

#2. Blackfish:
(2013) Gabriela Cowperthwaite

While in captivity, Tilikum, a performing 22.5 foot, 12,000lb male Orca, was responsible for the deaths of three people, including a top trainer. A powerful, provocative and emotionally unsettling documentary explores the devastating consequences of capturing and confining these intelligent, sentient creatures.

Cowperthwaite continually rests the onus of Tilikum's deadly behavior on the incorrigible conditions Orcas are subject to in captivity. These animals are beautiful, intelligent and highly emotional creatures, without a single confirmed kill of a human in the wild. If you've seen The Cove, it is similar in the sense that it is difficult to watch at times, but not because it is gruesome or violent, because it is emotionally jarring. Aside from being extremely organized and efficient predators, Orcas have a highly developed amygdala (the part of the brain that produces emotions). There is a scene in which a pod of Orcas are literally hunted down by poachers, the babies and mothers are separated and removed from their natural habitat to live the rest of their life in captivity. You can actually hear the mother Orcas crying for their babies.

Blackfish is a zoological horror story, a corporate expose and heartbreaking example of inhumane practices and predictable consequences that were ignored. Tilikum is still performing at Sea World in San Diego, CA.

Official trailer: http://youtu.be/fLOeH-Oq_1Y

#1. The Summit: K2:
(2012) Nick Ryan

Everyone thinks that Mount Everest is the most coveted mountain to climb, but K2, the second highest mountain on Earth, is by far the most dangerous. With only 300 people ever having reached the peak, more than 1/4 of those people didn't live long enough to tell the story.

In August, 2008, eighteen mountaineers in an international expedition attempted to reach the summit of K2 and eleven of them died on the mountain while three others were seriously injured. It has been noted that the events of the tragedy depict the single worst accident in the mountain's history.

The film uses footage from the climbing teams, interviews, and filmed recreations. The Summit tells a story of hope and daring marred by tragedy and confusion on the mountain as climbers fell to their deaths or disappeared in the dark. Conflicting accounts and details of the events from the survivors continue to perpetuate the mystery of how so many climbers died that day.

With a subject as fascinating and breathtakingly beautiful as K2 and the cinematic punch afforded by an austere grandeur of scenery, The Summit dissects a multitude of things, from preventable human error to unavoidable natural events that led to the untimely death of eleven mountaineers.

Official trailer: http://youtu.be/z0pPhTLvzu4

This sums up my list of Top Five Documentaries. Maybe you agree with me, maybe you're lucky enough to get to watch them for the first time, but documentaries are a fantastic way to learn about subjects you want to know more about, or subjects you possibly never even thought to gain insight to. If anyone would like to recommend films to me, please do so in the comments.