2019 was a different year for fiction films, with a wide variety of animated scenes telling thrilling stories with fascinating art – all while showing a willingness to get involved with what's happening in the real world. But the year's writings were just as powerful, in keeping with the popularity of The lungs, Us, again Miracles. Some of the lesser-known filmmakers go well with (or throw out) the classic formula of "dialogue, archive, and authoritative narratives," and are looking for additional ways to communicate complex ideas about historical events and the reality of modern life.
Few films on this list of the best documentaries of the year feel familiar. Most of them experiment with form, aiming to amaze and admire viewers. We've put together several of them in pairs, and, because in 2019, it felt like a worldwide theater band had a great conversation.
1. Apollo 11
Director Todd Douglas Miller and a brilliant team of reporters and editors are putting new life into the media, spotting NASA's first full-moon image into the 1960 & # 39; s style "you are", with sound based on news reports and official broadcasts of the made-up radio station with a small on-screen text. Apollo 11 it makes it clear throughout that these amazing, historical surprises came from real people, in their guides and personalities, rather than from a hopeless group of workers. But Miller also emphasizes the great support teams and the amazing engineering feats that have made the moon accessible, clever and progressive that make the point that humans can still do the impossible, if they have the ability and the will.
Where to stream: It's on Hulu, and like many articles here, is widely available through recruitment on Redbox, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, and many other services.
2. 63 High
Since the early 1960s, director Michael Apted has participated in a documentary on fantasy films, looking every seven years with British men and women of various classes, to see how their lives and programs have been affected by socio-economic change. social situations. The series began with it 7 Up, a special TV that introduces a handful of 7-year-olds, and continues 14 Up, 21 Up, and so on. The latest installment, More, is one of the best & # 39; s series, in part because ministers know they are passing through their sunset years, and partly because they also know that 78-year-old Apter will never do any of these parts. He and the people who have been following him for more than half a century are now investigating questions More, I speak with an uncomfortable feeling about what they have learned all about quitting now and publicly taking their lives and desires.
Where to stream: More is not currently broadcasting, because it has just hit the theater, but its predecessor, 56 High, it is widely available for those looking for a primer or hold.
3. The Sama
Over a period of 5 years, as the Syrian city of Aleppo was busy under airstrikes and terrorist attacks, a young woman named Waad al-Kateab took a camera to record her life: her marriage to the doctor, their first child's birth, the different ways she and her neighbors they have learned to adapt to the threat of daily destruction. Featured as a backup record for the filmmaker's daughter, For Sama you bring your perspective on global media, making it easier for outsiders to understand.
Where to stream: The PBS website, or on Kanopy.
4. Inventor: It comes out with blood in Silicon Valley
5. Fyre: The Greatest Team Ever
Decades from now, anyone who wants to understand American health in 2010 should start with both books, both about self-styled computer programmers who broke and burned after raising huge amounts of money from investors recommended to buy something that could be difficult. Fyre a joke of mistakes, with its story of a special music festival turned into a planned, unsupported disaster. Inventor is a rising producer, depicting a hot health company that flourished for a few years because of unseen agreements – and because of the widespread desire for its true and worthy founder. Both films are ultimately about leaders and public figures starving for all the success that it is better to hold on to lies than to admit to making bad mistakes.
Where to stream: Inventor on HBO Now, Kanopy, again DirecTV subscribers to those services. For sale also at a few platforms. Fyre a Netflix special.
6. American Industries
7. Family of Two
As the global economy continues to generate more income for the wealthy, working people who continue to find jobs make a living, but do not expect the kind of valued work or a balanced work life to enjoy. That is the essence of these two interrelated, complementary books. American factory examines a Chinese-owned glass factory in Ohio that has shocked some of its local employers with its disregard for the health and safety of workers. Family of Two is about one of the largest private ambulances in Mexico City, with nonprofit workers advocating for cost-cutting and speeding their patients to the highest quality hospitals. Both films are indications of the complexity of the blue-collar operation, with dire consequences for the future.
Where to stream: American factory it is on Netflix. Family of Two is in the stadiums inside limited output.
8. Aquarela
9. Cunningham
It's not uncommon for any documentary to be marketed as "information," but the movie's release of these two films is largely based on their unique physical sensations. Victor Kossakovsky & # 39; s Aquarela – Reflective reflections on the power of water in warm weather – shot and auditioned at the highest level, and struck by the separation of ear, symphonic music with heavy rhythmic music. Alla Kovgan's expansive documentary by avant-garde painter Merce Cunningham combines historical imagery with other forms of his most famous dance, shot in 3D. Both movies are good enough to be enjoyed on standard TV. But they are playing to get the most out of the big screen.
Where to stream: Aquarela it is is available for rent. Cunningham has not yet released streaming services.
10. Thunder Refresh Update: The Story of Bob Dylan
11. David Crosby: Remember My Name
Here are two very different approaches to rock mythology. In Rolling Thunder Revue, Martin Scorsese takes on Bob Dylan's masterpiece by looking back on one of his most famous tours – the baseless run of 1975, full of powerful guest stars – and adds fantasy elements to the reality. Remember My NameIn the meantime, he's been stopped by Cameron Crowe's unofficial interview of hippie songwriters, a lifeless victim of an attack that seems to burn a new bridge every time he speaks. Both films are full of amazing musical performances, and both raise questions about how the artist's image should affect how people perceive their work.
Where to stream: Rolling Thunder Revue it's on Netflix. Remember My Name it is leasing more.
12. Mike Wallace's Here
13. Disclaimer: The true story of the National Attorney
These two entertaining, eye-opening films link the fast-paced, open-minded era to the changing media business of the latter half of the 20th century, when the popularity of dynamic scoops began to drive the action. Mike Wallace is here An interactive boat, using historical clips to look at the life of a complex TV reporter, is famous for asking pressing questions no matter what the outcome. Terrible is something to warn, about a publication that has benefited millions of readers by exposing the hypocrisy of celebrities and politicians – until the owners have discovered that they can make more money by protecting the powerful.
Where to stream: Mike Wallace is here on Hulu too leasing more. Terrible on multiple search platforms and a few rental platforms.
14. Screwball
Like Billy Corben's previous documentary Cocaine Cowboys and The U, his latest film explores the unique culture of Miami, where athletes, entrepreneurs, and drug dealers meet. Specifically the story of the distribution of Big League baseball & # 39; s, where many players are involved in the use of energy-enhancing drugs, Screwball it's about sports stars and businessmen who cut corners, determined to move on to a part of their lives when they are rich, famous and engaging in oceanfront homes.
Where to stream: On Netflix either Kanopy subscribers, or with recruitment platforms.
15. Hot August
Part reporting and part interview, Brett Story experimental documentary Hot in August works a bit like a journal, collecting anecdotes and ideas from New York City in the summer of 2017. While tracking the effects of climate change and the rise of a fascist ideology, the Indaba also asks people simple questions about how they become entangled. Like the best documentaries of 2019, Hot in August it brings a sympathetic view to these moments of intense anxiety, which shows how humanity endures.
Where to stream: Hot in August hit theaters in November only, and is currently not broadcast. Watch here its online release.
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