For the first time in years, I've actually been able to see all the Best Documentary nominees before the Oscar ceremony. While they're fresh on my mind, let me give you a run down of my rankings, plus a prediction of which title will win the big prize. 5) Amy, dir. Asif Kapadia
Amy is a look at the rise and fall of Amy Winehouse through candid home movies and clips of performances, enhanced with interviews with her close friends and allies in the industry.
There's nothing wrong with the film. It's a slick, engaging documentary with a compelling subject. I just wanted more. It's very "here it is" and doesn't pace itself in an interesting enough way to keep my interest constantly. I understand why so many are attracted to it; I'm just not the target audience for this style of documentary filmmaking.
4) Cartel Land, dir. Matthew Heinemann
Cartel Land is an exploration of a civilian militia fighting against the overwhelming force of the drug and human trafficking cartels in southern Mexico.
Matthew Heinemann's work is ambitious. The quality of filmmaking is gorgeous and the actual fights and missions captured on film prove how unrealistic modern action films are. The story of the Autodefensas is very compelling, but the film is marred by the inclusion of an American anti-immigration hate group meant to represent and foreshadow corruption in civilian-run military groups.
3) Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, Dir. Evgeny Afineevsky
Winter on Fire follows the arc of protests in Ukraine started after the President's refusal to join the European Union and bolstered by his vicious retaliation against peaceful student protesters.
This is a lot of film to take in. So much happened in a six month period that you never heard about, especially considering the recency of the events. The acts of violence captured on film by Afineevsky and explained through heartbreaking narration by survivors is numbing. It's the kind of documentary you watch like a horror film: cautiously, with your fingers over your eyes and the hope that maybe someone will conquer the evil force senselessly slaughtering civilians.
2) The Look of Silence, dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
The Look of Silence is a sequel to the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Act of Killing. Oppenheimer shifts the focus from the killers of the military uprising in 1960s Thailand to one family of survivors searching for answers from those proud murderers.
If you were hoping The Look of Silence would be easier to watch than two and half hours of the government-sponsored murderers reenacting their crimes in any genre of film they want, you'll be disappointed. Oppenheimer uses one family's story--their son/brother faced one of the most brutal executions described in The Act of Killing--as a weapon against the families of the government officials. The brother reinterviews the killers and/or their families, then confronts them with the reality of his brother's murder. It's a whirlwind of emotions and a portrait of the fragility of memory and psychological coping mechanisms.
1) What Happened, Miss Simone?, dir. Liz Garbus
What Happened, Miss Simone? follows the many lives of acclaimed Jazz singer, activist, classical pianist, and face of Bipolar Disorder Nina Simone.
Garbus does everything with What Happened, Miss Simone? I had hoped would be done in Amy. Instead of a literal retelling of Simone's life, Garbus constantly puts Simone in context through interviews and outside perspective on her life, her career, her impact, and the social climate of the time. The edit is tight and constantly moves in a clear direction to prove the thesis of Simone being an accomplished artist never satisfied with her own artistry.
So which film will walk away a winner on Oscar night? That's an easy question to answer. Amy has walked away with almost all of the precursor and critics groups awards. Like I said further up, I understand the appeal of the film. It's very watchable. It's accessible. It's current. It's now.
The three war/revolution documentaries kind of cancel each out in a battle of misery.
What Happened, Miss Simone? could have gained traction, but the release by Netflix puts it at odds with the slow to change film industry. Amy was a bonafide commercial successful as far as documentaries go.
Will Win: Amy, because momentum is on its side. Not only is it popular and acclaimed, music documentaries have scored big in recent years at the Oscars.
Spoiler: The Look of Silence, in case the Academy swings away from the recent trend of lighter music biopics taking the top prize.