Children
Of The Mist (2021/Film
Movement)/Kentridge &
Dumas In Conversation
(2009/Icarus)/Ruth Weiss:
One More Step West Is The Sea
(2021/IndiePix/all DVDs)
Picture:
C Sound: C/C+/C+ Extras: C+/C+/C- Documentaries: B-/C+/C+
Here's
the latest in documentary releases...
Ha
Le Diem's Children
Of The Mist
(2021) is a documentary that is more of a docudrama as we see the
life of a young 12-year-old gal, its ups and downs, but with the ugly
twist of a horrific thing called 'bride kidnapping' with underage
females being abducted and used. There is much to say and much that
is obvious, but all societies have child exploitation, yet it tends
to be more accepted in certain cultures and especially where females
are involved.
The
director actually stays with the young gal's family for three years
to show, reveal and expose all the ups, downs and madness that
ensues. The result is an honest, live and alive work that brings
light to things hidden for far too long and I can see why this has
had the positive, welcome reaction it has. This could help change
things for the better, but more people need to see and hear about
this one. Definitely try to see it if you can handle it and tell
everyone you know about it, because it is that important.
Catherine
Meyburgh's Kentridge &
Dumas In Conversation
(2009) has contemporary artists Marlene Dumas and William Kentridge
hanging together, starting by just eating and talking, then really
getting into detailed discussions about work, art and life. In most
cases, two people talking for 72 minutes (and it was much longer to
make this) could run into boredom and repetitiveness, but they
actually have many t hings to say and share, so it is one of those
cases where some may feel like they are eavesdropping.
Despite
knowing the camera is there, they never worry about what they say,
never act fake or phony and the result has its moments. We also see
their work and the process to where they get to it, so it is worth a
look for those interested. Some of the ground they cover has come up
before in past documentaries on the art and art in particular, but
especially as we post, their observations are suddenly even more
valuable and important than when this was first released.
Finally,
we have Thomas Antonic's Ruth
Weiss: One More Step West Is The Sea
(2021) covering the later life of one of the final survivors and
artists of The Beat Generation, still doing her poetry readings,
other art and even getting into a filmmaking project she made when
she was much younger in the 1960s. A key portrait of the
counterculture at a time when some are trying to erase its very
existence, she speakers her mind.
Escaping
the Nazis and coming to the U.S in the 1930s, she also has plenty of
stories to tell, including how she knew all the other major,
well-known counterculture figures and very well. It also gives us
rare insight into that time and is a rare story of the women who were
their, even contributing and not as well-remembered. Just, it was
still a boy's club and that likely helped end its effectiveness, even
down to giving us the dark side of the 1980s.
She
was 90 when this was made.
Now
for playback performance. The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image
on all three releases have good color, but also have detail issues,
limits, some motion blur and other minor issues that make them a bit
weak. All three also offer lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mixes,
sounding good. However, Mist (which has two of the same
French soundtrack) is a little weaker, but has subtitles. I will add
that under the circumstances, some of this plays better than it might
have considering location audio issues and unexpected things that can
pop up when being a documentarian.
Extras
on all three releases offer trailers for other releases, save one for
Ruth for itself, plus Mist adds one for itself, plus a
director's Q&A.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
