THE JOURNAL
Mr Alexander McQueen and Ms Kate Moss in McQueen. Photograph by Lionsgate
The must-see factual films you can’t afford to miss.
It’s safe to say that, with the on-demand revolution and festivals such as Sundance embracing Netflix and Amazon, we are ploughing through more documentaries than ever before. Statistics from the BFI suggest a 600 per cent box-office boon for documentaries since 2007 and The Economist claims factual films are now “more powerful and popular than fiction”. From the breathtaking 13th to the sprawling docu-series The Staircase, there’s an almost overwhelming amount of documentary content swirling around the ether. And while we’re busy prising open the minds of serial killers and political tyrants over dinner, hundreds more documentaries are being loaded into the cultural canon for summer. Here are seven you’ll want to keep your eye on.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Mr Fred Rogers on the set of his show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in Won't You Be My Neighbor? Photograph by Mr Jim Judkis/Focus Features
Welcome to the world of Mr Fred Rogers, the late American children’s TV entertainer whose gentle touch made him seem like the world’s wise uncle. What, no creepy undertones? This lovingly crafted short, which was made ahead of a big-screen biopic starring Mr Tom Hanks, unwraps his TV shows, which dealt with issues such as death and divorce with genuine pathos and approachability.
Won’t You Be My Neighbour is on limited release in the USA now
Three Identical Strangers
Messrs Eddy, David and Bobby in Three Identical Strangers. Photograph courtesy of NEON
Mr Tim Wardle’s fascinating story takes us to New York in 1980, where three teens learn they are estranged triplets. We discover the uncanny mannerisms they’ve unknowingly shared, even down to their cigarette brand of choice and their vocation: competitive wrestling. Three Identical Strangers is the gripping, often dark tale of shared genetics and the unique kismet of a family bond.
Three Identical Strangers is on limited release in the USA from 29 June
RBG
A scene from RBG. Photograph courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
For this project, filmmaker Ms Betsy West spent three years shadowing one of the most formidable judges in recent American history, the seemingly unstoppable Ms Ruth Bader Ginsburg. When she’s not completing feats of physical exercise that would be impossible for most 85-year-olds – two dozen crunches, the usual – RBG documents her decades-long battle for women’s rights. A funny and touching ode to one of the Supreme Court’s true characters.
RBG is on limited release in the USA now; UK release date to be announced
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. Photograph by Mark Sennet Life Picture Collection, courtesy of HBO
For anyone familiar with Mr Robin Williams’ iconic film roles – as a melancholic divorcee mimicking a tough-but-tender Scottish nanny in Mrs Doubtfire, for example – Ms Marina Zenovich’s film is essential viewing. She uses outtakes, deleted scenes and improvised awards speeches to paint a picture of a frenetic mind worn down by ambition. It may not reveal the reasons for his tragic suicide, but Come Inside My Mind feels like Mr Williams’ most intimate character study yet.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind premieres on HBO on 13 July
McQueen
Mr Alexander McQueen and Ms Shalom Harlow in McQueen. Photograph by Lionsgate
McQueen is a vital keyhole into the mind of one of fashion’s most confounding designers. Directors Mr Ian Bonhôte and Mr Peter Ettedgui gained the trust of some of Mr Alexander McQueen’s closest childhood friends from down-at-heel east London, and this ravishing portrayal of the designer is palpably enriched by their input. Mr McQueen’s regular runway collaborator Mr Michael Nyman provides the score, which seals off a caring and funny love letter.
McQueen is in selected cinemas in the UK now and in US cinemas from 20 July
Generation Wealth
Generation Wealth. Photograph by Ms Lauren Greenfield, courtesy of Sundance Institute
With three decades of investigative travel under her belt, documentary film-maker Ms Lauren Greenfield has accrued an in-depth understanding of global cash flow and the transient effect wealth has on culture around the world. That’s the core message of Generation Wealth, her darkly comic paean to the commodification of culture and the corrosive effects money has on our relationship with beauty, age and gender ideals.
Generation Wealth is in US cinemas from 20 July; UK release date to be announced
Dirty Money
Dirty Money, season 1. Photograph by Netflix
There’s a measure of schadenfreude to be had in learning about companies that have cut financial corners only to be shamed in public. Dirty Money, award-winner Mr Alex Gibney’s Netflix docu-series, scratches this particularly cynical itch. From HSBC’s ties to a Mexican drug cartel to a maple syrup manufacturer’s fraudulent business model, this riveting series is high-stakes journalism at its finest.
Dirty Money is on Netflix UK now
