With so many documentaries available on streaming platforms, finding your next watch can be tough. That’s why each month, we hand-pick three must-see nonfiction films – from timeless classics to recent gems – that are sure to captivate and enlighten.
“Mayor” (2020)
Available to stream on Film Movement Plus. Also available to rent on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Google Play.
Having recently reviewed David Osit’s film “Predators” earlier this month, I was drawn to revisit “Mayor,” his feature from five years ago focusing on Musa Hadid, then the mayor of Ramallah in the West Bank. Understandably, the film resonates with a different, more somber tone in the context of the current conflict in Gaza. However, what has always set “Mayor” apart from many other documentaries on the Israeli-Palestinian situation is Osit’s deep interest not just in global politics, but in the intricate day-to-day governance of a city.
“Mayor” debuted in the same year that Frederick Wiseman premiered his acclaimed documentary on Boston’s City Hall, and Mayor Hadid’s perspective on his role mirrors Wiseman’s subjects. “How can I help you today?” he warmly asks a greeting resident. Throughout the film, he tackles various civic duties, from orchestrating a tree lighting ceremony to debating the appropriate name for a new fountain. A memorable scene even features a discussion about the city’s logo, ensuring “WeRamallah” clearly conveys “we are Ramallah.” Hadid strives to impress upon his constituents that vital municipal services – traffic lights, sidewalks, and street signs – are all under the city’s care and responsibility.
Yet, Ramallah ultimately operates beyond his full authority. As Hadid explains in a speech in Oxford, England, even constructing a sewage treatment center requires permission from Israel. Earlier in the film, highlighting the city’s limited external aid and revenue, Hadid addresses students with a powerful ambition: “If I’m able to create a situation where the municipality is sustainable for the next 100 years, I’ll have achieved something no one else has ever done.” It’s a formidable challenge, and international politics constantly influence Hadid’s responsibilities. The documentary captures him navigating a delicate meeting with a German parliamentary delegation and discussing the complex implications of a visit from Prince William. Osit was also filming when then-President Donald J. Trump, during his first term, unveiled a plan to relocate the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, a policy change that triggered widespread protests and unrest across the West Bank.
“The Super 8 Years” (2022)
Available to stream on Kino Film Collection. Also available to rent on Amazon.
While most home videos might not make for a captivating, multi-layered essay film, the acclaimed novelist Annie Ernaux masterfully transforms a collection of footage from a pivotal decade of her life into “The Super 8 Years.” This documentary serves as a profound reflection on family, historical shifts, and personal evolution. Ernaux, who both penned and narrates the film (co-directed with her son, David Ernaux-Briot), was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature just months after its debut. Her voice-over, as expected, is distinctly literary and deeply insightful.
The film is entirely composed of footage captured with a Bell & Howell camera acquired by Ernaux and her then-husband, Philippe, in 1972. They intermittently filmed with it until their separation in the early 1980s, after which Philippe kept the camera. The original footage was silent, save for “the crackle of the projector,” as Ernaux describes. She enriches it with her own narration, weaving together intimate observations about her domestic life with broader reflections on their extensive travels during that era. The Ernaux family visited Chile just before the coup that overthrew Salvador Allende, leading her to comment, “The images we’d brought back were of a country that no longer existed.” Similarly, during a trip to Albania under the Stalinist rule of Enver Hoxha, their Western group found themselves in an isolated bubble. “The real country was on another stage to which we had no access,” Ernaux poignantly states.
This period also marked the publication of Ernaux’s debut novel, the autobiographical “Cleaned Out” (1974). She delves into how her blossoming artistic path often conflicted with the traditional “gender-based division of labor” prevalent in her early life with Philippe. As Philippe was typically the one behind the camera, the film features significantly more of her than of him. At one point, Ernaux muses about her onscreen presence: “The woman in the image always seems to wonder why she’s there.” She further reflects on how the camera served as a chronicle of crucial family milestones, initially documenting “a record of beginnings.” However, by 1981, the tone shifted: “The camera that summer no longer sought happy moments.”
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” (2024)
Available to stream on Netflix.
Amidst discussions about how technology might exacerbate loneliness, this particular story offers a refreshing counter-narrative. In 2014, upon the passing of Mats Steen, a 25-year-old Norwegian man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, his family shared a poignant blog post. While they were aware Mats had dedicated countless hours – tens of thousands, by his father’s estimation – to online gaming over the preceding decade, they were unaware of the profound depth of his virtual connections. He was an integral part of a tight-knit “World of Warcraft” community, where he spent years role-playing as Ibelin, a formidable detective and nobleman.
Benjamin Ree’s documentary masterfully reconstructs parts of Ibelin’s journey, utilizing chat logs, animation, and voice actors, complemented by heartfelt real-life interviews with Mats’s World of Warcraft friends. This approach effectively illustrates the profound mutual impact he and his comrades had on each other. A Danish mother, for instance, attributes Mats with inspiring her to use gaming as a bridge to connect with her autistic son. Within his avatar as Ibelin, Mats experienced his first romantic interest, Rumour – a character who, at one point, vanished from the game, causing heartbreaking concern. (It was later revealed she was a Dutch high school student whose parents had restricted her computer access.) Upon her return, their bond reignited. However, Lisette, the real person behind Rumour, reflects in an interview that the friendship wasn’t perfectly balanced: she frequently shared her problems with him, but Mats, who initially kept his condition private from the online community, didn’t always appear to reciprocate that level of trust.
Perhaps such dynamics are inherent when identities are partially hidden behind avatars. Yet, a core message of “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” is that regardless of what was disclosed or kept secret, the connections formed were unequivocally real. The film beautifully highlights the immense opportunities gaming afforded Mats and the genuine sorrow his online companions felt upon his passing.