This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - September 13-September 19, 2024
We’re already venturing into the middle of September 2024! This year is going by too fast, but it’s given us so many great documentaries, so who are we to complain? This week brings many more, and we’ll get to them in a moment. First, I want to share two fun things that came out this week that are documentary-related. One is a typing game inspired by the release of Seeking Mavis Beacon (now in theaters) and based on the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing software. I tried it out and apparently I type fewer words per minute than I thought.
The other thing I want to share is the new Icarus Films website. Icarus distributes a ton of documentaries, including many of the works of Chantal Akerman, Patricio Guzmán, Chris Marker, and Wang Bing. The new website allows you to easily find and stream hundreds of the company’s documentaries with the click of a button — on demand for a fee. And if you don’t know what you want to watch, you can filter by filmmaker or type of documentary (experimental, observational, expositional, etc.). You can also check out the list of films playing on the big screen around the country, including special event showings of classics.
Now, without further ado, here are this week’s highlights, listings, and coming attractions, including our Pick of the Week. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future.
Nonfics Pick Of The Week: Will & Harper (2024)
One of the funniest and most feel-good documentaries of the year, albeit with some sadness thrown in, Will & Harper stars actor Will Ferrell and former Saturday Night Live writer Harper Steele as they reconnect following Steele’s announcement that she has come out as a trans woman. The film follows the pair on a road trip across America, from New York City to Los Angeles, and it’s reminiscent of the original Borat movie in the way it encounters the land in between. Everything here is genuine compared to that documentary’s focus on masquerade and satire to reveal its truths, but Will & Harper does seem to intently encounter situations and issues and people with the expectation of displaying either bigotry or surprising instances of tolerance.
Despite those few minor surprising moments, most of Will & Harper plays as you expect. The film plays as though it’s all for Steele, who is adjusting to being public with her identity and looking for comfort in the Middle America of her upbringing and the broad activities she enjoyed in the past while living as a man. But it’s unlikely that her desire to go out to bars again, now as herself, means patronizing places with Confederate flags and Trump banners on the walls, which is exactly the type of establishment that she and Ferrell just happen to wind up at. What makes that interesting, though, is that later Ferrell comes to regret some of the pageantry of their trip, and the documentary begins to confront its purpose, whatever it may be.
By having Ferrell around, the film and filmmakers — and to a degree Steele — can use his celebrity and talent as a bridge for people to accept her, but is that why they’re on the trip or why they’re making this documentary? She’s not an activist, doesn’t represent trans people or trans rights, and isn’t even completely sure of herself in this identity yet — some of the best scenes involve her learning how to be the woman that she is and wants to be, not how to be a “woman” or a “trans woman” — to fix the ignorant. Too often Will & Harper seems to employ her experience for the sake of others and to offer a bigger picture or address a broad issue to the audience when it’s clear from the start that it’s her journey for herself. And for her friend and their friendship. Maybe that can be relatable to or empathized with by viewers, but it’s not about them, and the film is best when it knows it’s just Will and Harper’s story.
Will & Harper opens in select theaters nationwide on Friday, September 13, before making its exclusive streaming debut on Netflix on Friday, September 20.
Other Documentary Highlights
Before Stonewall (1984)
This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of Before Stonewall (also known as Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 1984. While we didn’t include this film, which looks at the gay and lesbian community before the 1969 Stonewall riots, on our list of the best documentaries about LGBT history (nor its sequel, After Stonewall), it’s still a classic well worth your viewing time. Five years ago, Before Stonewall was added to the National Film Registry or being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” due to its “detailed look at the history and making of the LGBTQ community in 20th-century America through archival footage and interviews with those who felt compelled to live secret lives during that period.”
Before Stonewall is currently streaming on Ovid, Kanopy, and Tubi.
Child Star (2024)
There have been a few documentaries in recent years looking at the idea (and maybe issue) of child stardom, and some of them have even been directed by former child actors. That’s the case with Child Star as well, since one of its two directors is former Disney Channel staple Demi Lovato. The documentary features interviews with other former child stars who now work in the industry as adults, and they’re all conducted by Lovato, who turns a lot of the conversations back to being about herself. In that way, Child Star is a film primarily about Lovato and her experience as she talks to Christina Ricci, Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symoné, et al., and finds kinship with them.
The documentary doesn’t ever dig too deep either since its participants all came out of the child stardom experience mostly unscathed, even if some encountered some demons along the way. Given that there’s an easy path toward sensationalizing the negative side of child stardom — we just saw some of the worst of this with Gary — or leaning on the survivor aspect a la this year’s much talked about docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, it’s almost refreshing to not get that here, but in its simple frankness, it’s also not that compelling unless you’re interested in Lovato and how she relates to her fellow former youth performers.
Child Star premieres on Hulu on Tuesday, September 17.
Creative Arts Emmy Winners
While the Primetime Emmys are being held this weekend (we previously highlighted the nominees here), the Creative Arts Emmy winners were announced in a ceremony last week. Here’s a list of the documentaries that were honored in various categories and where to watch them now:
Beckham (streaming on Netflix) won Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Girls State (streaming on Apple TV+) won for its directing and cinematography.
Conan O’Brien Must Go (streaming on Max) won for its writing.
Jim Henson: Idea Man (streaming on Disney+) won Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special and awards for its editing, sound design, and music composition.
The Beach Boys (streaming on Disney+) won for its sound mixing.
Welcome to Wrexham (streaming on Hulu and FX Now) won Best Unstructured Reality Program and awards for its editing and sound mixing.
Queens (streaming on Hulu and Disney+) won for its narration by Angela Bassett.
Malcolm X (1972)
James Earl Jones, who died last week at the age of 93, was best known for his voice. That’s partly thanks to Star Wars and later The Lion King as well as his many on-screen roles, yet by the time he was chosen as the voice of Darth Vader, he’d already lent his deep basso profondo to the narration of the Oscar-nominated documentary Malcolm X. Jones went on to narrate some other documentaries — surprisingly not as many as you’d think — including Disneynature’s Earth and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, and he was already a big enough star in 1969 to appear in King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis as one of its superfluous celebrity readers. But if you want a documentary that employs Jones best, it’s this biographical tribute to the titular civil rights activist.
Malcolm X is available to rent or buy on Amazon or Apple TV.
Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal (2024)
For the most part, Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal offers nothin’ new to the history of ‘80s hair metal. It’s a basic behind the music that you used to find on VH1 and now see on Paramount+ with little aesthetic value and a lot of anecdotes in favor of insight. Still, just when I got to thinking that I’d rather recommend The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years instead of this three-part docuseries from Jeff Tremaine (Jackass), it took that classic rock doc to task for its treatment of substance abuse as comedy.
If Nöthin' But A Good Time is good for anything, it’s the way it confronts the misogyny and longtime celebration of addiction-ladled revelry associated with the era, the music, and the artists as things to now look back at in shame. Also, a bit about the success of Beavis and Butt-Head causing Winger’s downfall offers an interesting twist to MTV’s part in the story of ‘80s hair metal.
Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal premieres on Paramount+ on Tuesday, September 17.
What's Next: The Future With Bill Gates (2024)
Surprisingly, Bill Gates turns out to be a likable host throughout this five-part docuseries on the issues we face in the future — and that “we” mostly seems to be geared toward Americans. What’s Next: The Future with Bill Gates devotes episodes to growing concerns about AI, the spread of misinformation online, global warming, the billionaire class, and disease, and it’s engaging, informative, and even sometimes enlightening. However, the final installment’s focus on the problem of malaria, which Gates is well-known for being associated with, comes off as more self-serving than the rest, and that’s a disappointing feeling to end on.
What’s Next: The Future with Bill Gates premieres in its entirety on Netflix on Wednesday, September 18.
Documentary Release Calendar 9/13/24 - 9/19/24
Friday, September 13, 2024
Am I Racist? (2024) - A feature documentary investigating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. (In Theaters)
BOOM! A Film About the Sonics (2018) - A feature documentary about the titular garage rock band. (In Theaters)
In Vogue: The 90s (2024) - A docuseries about fashion in the 1990s according to Vogue editors. (Hulu)
Just a Bit Outside: The Story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers (2024) - A feature documentary about the titular Major League Baseball team the year they nearly won the championship. (In Theaters)
Music for Mushrooms (2024) - A feature documentary exploring the healing capabilities of music and psychedelics combined with shamanistic practices. (In Theaters)
Studio One Forever (2023) - A feature documentary about the iconic West Hollywood club. (In Theaters)
Sweetheart Deal (2022) - A documentary about four sex workers and addicts looking to turn their lives around. (In Theaters)
Trilogy: New Wave (2024) - A feature documentary following surfers Seth Moniz, Griffin Colapinto, and Ethan Ewing to remote locations around the world in search of perfect waves. (In Theaters)
Unfightable (2024) - A feature documentary about transgender MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin. (In Theaters)
Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) - A feature documentary directed by Kent Jones (Hitchcock/Truffaut) and narrated by Martin Scorsese about horror movie producer Val Lewton. (TCM)
Will & Harper (2024) - A feature documentary following Will Ferrell and former Saturday Night Live writer Harper Steele, who has just come out as transgender, on a road trip across America. (In Theaters)
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Cave Explorers (1957) - A short documentary following Austrian speleologists exploring a newly discovered cave. (TCM)
The Fog of War (2003) - An Oscar-winning feature documentary directed by Errol Morris about the work of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. (TCM)
Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins Season 3, Episode 5: “One-Way Street” - The latest episode of this crime docuseries focuses on a woman stabbed to death in Baltimore. (Oxygen True Crime)
The Real Murders of Atlanta Season 3, Episode 5: “Murder at the Mall” - The Atlanta-focused true-crime docuseries continues with a story of a Navy reservist gunned down outside a mall. (Oxygen True Crime)
Timelesz Audition Project (2024) - A documentary following the titular Japanes boy band as they audition new members. (Netflix)
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Ancient Aliens Season 8 - The eighth season of this documentary series about UFOs and aliens being part of ancient history. (Netflix)
Baby Animal Rescue (2024) - A docuseries about wildlife orphans in South Africa. (National Geographic)
Chasing Big Waves (2024) - A documentary by surfing legend Grant Washburn about big wave surfing. (In Theaters)
Intervention Season 23 - The 2021 season of this docuseries spotlighting interventions intended to help addicts. (Netflix)
National Parks: USA Episodes 3 & 4: “Yellowstone” & “Olympic” - The latest episodes of this nature docuseries focus on the titular national parks. (National Geographic)
Snapped: Behind Bars Season 2, Episode 3: “Tausha Morton” - The latest episode of this crime series is about a woman behind bars for supposedly conspiring with the person who killed her ex-husband. (Oxygen True Crime)
When Hope Breaks Through (2023) - A documentary following a disabled paddle-boarder as he attempts to cross all Great Lakes. (In Theaters)
Monday, September 16, 2024
Cabin in the Woods Season 1, Episode 2: “Murder on Mt. Baldy” - The latest episode of this docuseries focuses on a 71-year-old man who disappeared from his cabin in California. (Investigation Discovery)
Catholics Vs. Convicts (2016) - A 30 for 30 documentary about a 1988 college football game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami. (Netflix)
MGM Parade Show #19 (1956) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films Ransom! and Ziegfeld Follies. (TCM)
Pony Excess (2010) - A 30 for 30 documentary about SMU’s illegally formed football team of the 1980s. (Netflix)
Rand University (2014) - A 30 for 30 documentary about NFL wide receiver Randy Moss. (Netflix)
The Real Murders on Elm Street Season 1, Episode 2: “And We Have Serial Killers” - The latest episode of this docuseries about murders occurring at Elm Street addresses focuses on victims stabbed with swords and then burned in an Elm Street home. (Investigation Discovery)
The U (2009) - A 30 for 30 documentary by Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) about the revitalization of the University of Miami football program in the 1980s. (Netflix)
The U: Part 2 (2014) - A 30 for 30 documentary directed by Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) continuing the story from The U about the University of Miami’s football program. (Netflix)
Wild Hogs and Saffron (2024) - A short documentary following its Iranian-American filmmaker and a childhood friend on a wild hog hunt in the Ozarks. Presented as an episode of Independent Lens. (PBS)
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Bacall on Bogart (1988) - An episode of Great Performances about actor Humphrey Bogart as presented by his widow, actress Lauren Bacall. (TCM)
Child Star (2024) - A feature documentary co-directed by Demi Lovato about former child stars. (Hulu)
God & Country (2024) - A film about Christian Nationalism from Dan Partland, director of Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump. Read our review of God & Country. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined (2024) - A documentary about the titular poet and novelist. Presented as an episode of American Experience. (PBS)
Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80S Hair Metal (2024) - A three-part music docuseries covering a swatch of bands in the 1980s. (Paramount+)
The Pitch: Patient Safety's Next Generation (2024) - A feature documentary about innovations in healthcare in the area of patient safety. (DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD)
Stopping the Steal (2024) - A feature documentary about former Trump Administration staffers and other Republicans who helped thwart the president’s plan to overturn the 2020 election. (HBO and Max)
This Much We Know (2022) - A documentary about the suicide problem in Las Vegas plus the issue of nuclear waste storage nearby. (DVD and Blu-ray)
World’s Most Notorious Killers (2024) - A five-part docuseries about serial killers from around the globe. (Peacock)
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Big Cats 24/7 Episode 1 & 2 - The first two installments of this six-part nature docuseries spotlights lions, leopards, and cheetahs in Botswana’s Okavango Delta before and after a huge wildfire. (PBS)
How (Not) To Get Rid of a Body Episode 3: “Graveyard Shift” - A docuseries about killers who attempted to dispose of the bodies of their victims. This episode focuses on a murder victim found in an old tomb in Philadelphia. (Investigation Discovery)
Jung Kook: I Am Still (2024) - A documentary about the Korean singer-songwriter who rose to stardom as a member of BTS.
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story (1951) - A medium-length documentary presenting footage from new MGM movies of that year. (TCM)
To Catch a Smuggler Season 8, Episode 4: “Spiced and Loaded” - The latest episode of this crime docuseries follows stories of the illegal transport of meth and Ukraine relics. (National Geographic)
What's Next: The Future with Bill Gates (2024) - A five-part docuseries starring Bill Gates covering issues we face in the years to come. (Netflix)
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Island in Between (2023) - A short documentary about relationships with Taiwan, China, and the U.S., from the perspective of the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen. (Ovid)
Lost Treasures of Rome Season 2, Episode 6: “Battles on Rome's Frontier” - The latest episode of this archaeology docuseries involves the fight to keep remnants of the Roman Empire safe. (National Geographic and Hulu)
Sneak Peak At What’s Coming Soon
10/2 - Food and Country - A feature documentary starring food writer Ruth Reichl about America’s broken food system. (In Theaters)
10/5 - Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid - A feature documentary about political consultant James Carville, most famous for his work on the 1992 Bill Clinton presidential campaign. (CNN)
10/11 - Mediha - A feature documentary about a teenage survivor of being a child sex slave for ISIS. (In Theaters)
10/18 - Nocturnes - A feature documentary about moths in the Eastern Himalayan forests. (In Theaters)
10/25 - Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band - A feature documentary peeking behind the scenes of the titular group’s 2023-2024 tour. (Hulu and Disney+)
11/1 - Luther: Never Too Much - A feature documentary by Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble) about singer Luther Vandross. (In Theaters)