School of Life

I have found over the years that I am definitely a visual and interactive "learner".  What I love about Documentaries is that you really have to put down your i-phone, i-pad, or tablet, watch and learn.  I know I strive to better myself as a being contributing to the world.  It may not be, by my recycling prowess or volunteering, but certainly, when you know better you do better, right?  While I may never have kids that doesn't mean I don't want to learn about how the world treats them.  I may never be a professional sports athlete but I can certainly discover the dedication, hard work, and sacrifices it takes to be one.  I can understand that someones journey may have nothing to do with their destination.  Everyone has a story, here are some of my favorites:


Sports

Senna

Ayrton Senna was a successful and dedicated Formula One Race Car driver during the 80's & 90's. This documentary depicts his life and death.  I knew Formula One was a dangerous sport and this film truly depicts the lengths drivers go to become #1.  It's chilling watching him speak up for the safety of the riders, when in a string of accidents over the course of a weekend, takes his life during a live race. It's also interesting to see how cars have evolved over decades.  This film won a BAFTA for Best Documentary and can be found, in full, on Netflix and is worth a watch.








Crash Reel

A recent HBO Documentary about Snow Boarding...or is it? Kevin Pearce was at the top of his game and getting ready for his first major Olympics until tragedy strikes and he finds himself recovering from TBI (traumatic brain injury). Not only does this film depict his hard fought recovery but, an in-depth look at how precious your noggin really is.  Kevin's entire family also deserve a tremendous amount of credit and left me with a new found respect for x-games athletes and the sacrifices they make for success.












Arts

Mad Hot Ballroom

Ballroom dancing in an inner city and kids?  For many this program keeps them off the streets, for others it builds confidence, and for some an appreciation to an underestimated art form.  These children care about each other, their community, and their futures.  Told from 3 different neighborhoods Washington Heights, Bensonhurst, and Tribeca.  I dare you to watch this clip and not smile!

First Position

Another dance documentary featuring children but instead of engaging in something extra curricular these kids revolve their whole lives around being the best at ballet.  Set against competing at the Youth American Grand Prix this film revolves around several youths and the work it takes to achieve your dream.  I was amazed and a little intimidated at the level of dedication a 9 year old that revolves their world around dance. My favorite kid is Aran you can tell that he does Ballet because he loves it, not because he is forced to do it, and damn is he good!

Children

First Circle

An intimate, informative, and often heartbreaking look at the US Foster Care system told by a woman who went through it herself.  The documentary opens up with an arrest at a meth house and an officer taking a young boy to health and welfare.  The female investigator is so sweet, I think to myself, she sees this all the time, how do you find hope in dealing with parents who don't do the one thing they are meant to do?  My heart breaks for these kids.  There is also another side to this film about parents who do the fostering.  One story resonated with me of a woman, who at one point had young girls and a teenage boy at the same time, found the boy in the girl's room, and had to call to have him removed.  What would it take to make that phone call :( A hard film to watch but I feel important to do so.


Rough Aunties

I think about this HBO documentary often.  As I've said I don't see children in my future but that doesn't mean I don't care about how they are treated and cared for.  This amazing documentary is about a group of women who treat, care, and rescue abused and neglected children in South Africa.  There are traumatized girls who have to touch a teddy bear (Bobbi Bear) to show where there were hurt so they can begin to heal.   Children who have to re-tell horrific things done to them and can recount with such chilling and gut-wrenching detail.  The women that run the organization have to be tough but the strength they find must come from the faces of these children who have no one else.  This is probably one of the most difficult films I have ever seen but so important to take in and have been forever changed by.






Animals

Buck

I have always been fascinated by horses since I was little, I even got to take a few riding lessons as a child.  I always knew and had respect for their power and grace.  Buck is not a horse, but a man that has a special way with them.  People call him the Horse Whisperer.  I hesitate to use that term because the "Dog Whisperer" that is popular in America, in my definition, is the exact opposite of Buck.  Buck's talent is in understanding horse behavior and using modification techniques I have never seen before.  He is kind, gentle, stern, but always fair...a lot different to the treatment of how he grew up.  Buck talks about his father's child rearing skills or lack there of and you cannot help but feel a sense of awe in how he chooses to interpret and live life.  He is also the inspiration behind the studio movie the Horse Whisperer, with Robert Redford, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Scarlett Johansson which is great film.  Everyone needs a Buck in their life.




An Apology to the Elephants

Another wonderful HBO documentary about the evolution of the treatment of performing elephants.  It packs a punch against the cruelty of zoos and circuses and the psychological and physical trauma elephants have endured solely for our entertainment.  **Insert soapbox moment**  I feel this documentary and others as The Cove & most recent Blackfish open a much bigger conversation about the state of modern day humanity.  When people stop seeing dogs as retail, stop supporting roadside zoos, stop wanting animals to "entertain" us.  Then change and preservation may really come.  Do we not care about the emotional well being of other living creatures?  This film makes you look deep and maybe you'll think twice about supporting anything other than organizations like the WWF






Crime

West of Memphis 

3 Teens convicted of brutally murdering three 8 year old boys.  The "ringleader" Damien Echols sent to Death Row.  His fellow convicts Jessie Miskelley and Jason Baldwin sent to life in prison.  Why I chose this documentary instead of HBO's Paradise Lost Trilogy is it brings us to present day.  The trilogy of films are absolutely worth a watch as it starts from the beginning.  This documentary meets us at the end.  It's a story of cultural hysteria, criminal injustice, and all the people it took to get these three wrongly accused men out of jail.  Produced by Peter Jackson (Yes, Lord of the Rings director) and Damien Echols himself, this film provides a wonderful debate about right and wrong and the pursuit of justice.  There will also be a feature filmed called Devil's Knot based on this story starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth.  P.S. If you are on Twitter follow @damienechols his daily mantras kick my butt some days into gear.




The Ganja Queen

Did she or didn't she, I still am not sure?  The story of Schapelle Corby, an Australian woman convicted of trafficking almost 10lbs of cannabis into Bali.  This HBO film takes us through the trial, her conviction, and the devastating outcome.  I think this film raises more questions then answers and should be shown in schools about never, ever having illegal substances in foreign countries.  I am a big fan of National Geogrpahic's Locked Up Abroad because of Schapelle's story.  She is still in prison and makes me very thankful for the life I live...free.









 Double Act

World Famous Actor Ewan McGregor and buddy, fellow actor, Charley Boorman take the audience on two very amazing, profound, exhausting, thrilling, sometimes comical motorcycle trips across the world and then down the world.  While I'm taking some liberties with this being a documentary since it was a tv series, I have watched both films in one sitting, several times over, so they needed to be on this list.
 
Long Way Round

From London to New York City heading through Western Europe, Asia, Canada, and the US.  I really wanted to call them, the Best Bromance, since Ewan and Charley seem to have a true friendship with each other.  Along for the ride is a crew of producers, medical experts, and cameraman, featuring the always silly Claudio.  We watch them struggle with terrain, miss their families, and discover the world in a way I never could.  It's so entertaining and heartfelt that if you don't already love Ewan, you will now!

Long Way Down

Charley and Ewan are back!!  This time they are driving from Scotland to South Africa, oh my!   Same crew, same cameraman Claudio, different journey.  They even get to meet the Rwandan President!  Africa can be a dangerous place so I found the border crossing and different issues in each country fascinating.  In this film I found myself really enjoying Charley's journey. Grab a brew, watch, and enjoy.

So here you go...you'll laugh, you'll cry (ALOT) but my hope is you learn something you didn't know, look at the world and the people that live in it a little differently, in this documented story from a video store.