Everyday Activist - New York Times Op-Ed Documentaries (Oscars 2018)

Posted on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 10:00 AM

New York Times Op-Ed Documentaries (Oscars 2018)

Movie Review by Everyday Activist X CalgaryMovies.com

In the past films on the New York Times Op-Ed Documentary platform have done really well, including the Canadian film My Enemy, My Brother and last year’s 4.1 Miles, which won a Peabody Award.

This year, none of the ones that made it on the top ten list were great. Ten Meter Tower was amusing, 116 Cameras was an interesting premise and Alone was a bit too dramatic for my taste. Given my bias in social justice, it makes sense why I don’t think these will move on to the final five.

Ten Meter Tower was the best of the bunch. I loved how the filmmakers asked people from all walks of life and all shapes and sizes to participate in their experiment of jumping off a ten meter tower. They filmed the conversations and contemplations people had with themselves and with companions. Most people jumped, including a 70 year old grandmother. If you want to try it out, in Calgary, Repsol, the former Talisman Center, has a 10 m diving board.

I had to agree with the woman’s family in Alone. Why on earth would you marry someone in jail and then complain about being alone? Besides with a criminal record, the prospects for employment are lower, which doesn’t bode well for a family. Maybe I’m just too practical.

The coolest fact about 116 Cameras was that the woman featured is Anne Frank’s step sister. While I applaud her continued activism to speak about her experience as a way to help her cope with the trauma, the rest about making holograms to document the stories of holocaust survivors for future generations was less interesting.

So far my pick is Heroin(e), since it was a unique take on a timely issues, though I haven’t seen the other six on the 10 Documentary Shorts on 2017 Oscars Shortlist films. See the films below so you can judge for yourself.

Calgary Showtimes: New York Times Op-Docs >