Nashville Film Fest 2018 Recap: Documentaries

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MINDING THE GAP

An unexpectedly beautiful and stirring doc about three young men who share a love of skateboarding that becomes their way to heal from their pasts, even if only for a moment. In his stunning first feature, director Bing Liu captures compelling stories in a crumbling Illinois city where family abuse leaves an incredibly lasting impression that must be forgiven. The friendships and relationships that are explored are complicated with no easy answers; but that’s how life is and this immense, intimate journey is them figuring it out.

IF I LEAVE HERE TOMORROW: A Film About Lynard Skynard

A rollicking doc about the southland rock n’ rollers who are much more than their greatest hits. It’s an engrossing look in to how the guys’ passion and dedication made them a powerful musical force while raising some hell along the way. For longtime fans, it’s a chance to relive the early days of Skynard and remember Ronnie Van Zant and his rebel soul that fueled the band.

HAL

A fascinating yet mournful documentary about a filmmaker who loved the art but despised the industry in which he made it for. Always going against the grain, Hal Ashby directed such 70’s classics as Shampoo, Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, and Coming Home. However, his obsessiveness and craving of perfection was his gift and his curse. Director Amy Scott isn’t as interested in Hal’s personal life as she is of his career and grueling process. Then again, his life was his movies. Putting a spotlight on his genius is well overdue, and perhaps what he stood for and spoke out against didn’t make him the most popular, but it sure as hell made him honest.

CRIME + PUNISHMENT

The NYPD’s feet are held to the fire in this discerning, infuriating documentary about quotas and summonses that should be illegal but are still enforced. Officers and their victims are turned in to nothing but numbers, and director Stephen Maing takes his cameras undercover with a group of brave officers willing to fight for what is right. Known as the NYPD 12, they want to shut down the systematic racism capable of stifling careers and ruining lives. The reveals are riveting and tragic, observing injustice being normalized and ridiculous retaliations being rationalized. No matter the race, it’s disgusting to see those who are supposed to protect only wanting to profit.

MCQUEEN

This work of beauty threads together the brilliance and sadness of a fashion sculptor whose art is displayed in every piece of his designs. Keeping it elegant and emotional, this documentary embraces Lee Alexander McQueen’s undeniable passion, along with his unforgiving exquisiteness. He didn’t want approval, he wanted to astonish. Whether his magnificent, twisted shows dazzled or disgusted, the emotion was always there. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui get candid with family and friends to gain our attention on just how groundbreaking McQueen was; but, the more acclaim he received, the more unrecognizable and self-destructive he became.

LOST IN AMERICA 

A heartbreaking doc that spotlights youth homelessness and vitally seeks answers as to why thirteen kids die on the street each day in America. Director Rotimi Rainwater has personal experience with this, and the individual accounts he shares in this film will hopefully change the stigma of those we see in need of help. And while the struggles of these teens are highlighted, the problems that need fixing are more summarized than depicted. Even so, the awareness of remembering the forgotten is there and that’s extremely important.

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a captivating composer, an inventor of sorts, by using surrounding sounds to create innovative music. While sort of a swan song for him, director Stephen Schible doesn’t use the time to tell us about the subject. Instead, we’re left with glimpses into Sakamoto’s process and his inspirations, meanwhile never understanding what has shaped the maestro we see today. Though, when you see his mind at work and listen to his creations, it’s a hypnotizing experience no matter what.

LOUD KRAZY LOVE

A rock star finds religion in Trey Hill and Scott Mayo’s affectionate, personal documentary about addiction, family and love. Brian “Head” Welch of Korn pours his heart out about his chaotic life, and his daughter Jeanne is left confronting what her childhood was. It’s a story we’ve heard too many times about the path of destruction from drugs; yet, it’s the honest struggle of soul searching and the unbreakable bond between a father and daughter that makes this journey memorable.

“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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