This Week In Documentary
This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - November 1-7, 2024
The first week of November brings a ton of new documentaries to theaters and the addition of classic nonfiction films to streaming platforms — the first of the month always sees fresh programming introduced on The Criterion Channel and MUBI. Some of these are highlighted below and others can be found by title in the listings. Election Day also finally arrives this week, and while there are plenty of appropriate political films to watch for the occasion, I recommend a double feature of the participatory crowdsourced documentaries 11/4/08 (sadly hard to find at the moment), chronicling the date Barack Obama was elected president, and 11/8/16 (available on Kanopy and Pluto TV), chronicling the date Donald Trump was elected president.
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: Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat (2024)
One of the most original documentaries of the year, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is so much movie that it’s hard to describe in simple terms. The film chronicles the events that led to the assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba and the subsequent UN Security Council protest enacted by jazz singer Abbey Lincoln and drummer Max Roach. The rich historical narrative involves the Cold War, African decolonization, and jazz musicians unknowingly partnered with spies in a blend of cultural diplomacy and covert political meddling.
The content alone would be engaging enough. But the freeform jazziness of the editing of so much archival material combined with the soundtrack of tunes by the many involved jazz legends plus clever voiceover narration consisting of related readings makes for a particularly thrilling telling of this thickly layered story.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat opens in theaters on Friday, November 1.
Other Documentary Highlights
Alanis Obomsawin Documentaries
One of the most important documentary filmmakers you’ve never heard of (especially if you’re not Canadian), the 92-year-old Alanis Obomsawin continues to merit the greatest of accolades for her body of work. She’s a decorated citizen up north and has had retrospectives and lifetime achievements bestowed upon her around the world. Now she’s being showcased by MUBI for Native American Heritage Month this November — she was born in the U.S., so it works. The curation is titled “Songs of Resistance: An Alanis Obomsawin Collection,” and it includes her most famous doc, Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance along with five other features and shorts.
Most of Obomsawin’s films, including Kanehsatake, concern Indigenous people — she’s a member of the Abenaki community herself. Kanehsatake and My Name Is Kahentiiosta are about a land dispute in Quebec known as the Oka Crisis. Her very first film, the short Christmas at Moose Factory, provides a platform for children at a residential school to share their stories. There’s also Amisk, about a territorial issue for the James Bay Cree, Incident at Restigouche, about a clash between Quebecois police and the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation, and her 1977 feature debut, Mother of Many Children, about Native women representing various groups. Obomsawin has made many more documentaries, the most recent of which was released when she was 90, but the six highlighted here are part of MUBI’s program and provide a good, essential introduction to her films.
The six films presented as “Songs of Resistance: An Alanis Obomsawin Collection” begin streaming on MUBI on Friday, November 1.
American Movie (1999)
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release of American Movie, Chris Smith’s cult classic documentary following a Milwaukee filmmaker’s efforts to finish a low-budget horror movie. Sony recently put out a new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the occasion, and now you need to pick that up and watch it for the proper date: November 5. I re-watched the film last week (on Prime Video; Sony denied me a review copy of the Blu-ray) and hope to write more extensively about why it remains an essential piece of nonfiction cinema, especially as a product of the ‘90s. Look for that on Tuesday or Wednesday, likely for paid subscribers only.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray of American Movie is in stores now.
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
Harlan County U.S.A. might not be my Pick of the Week this week, but it is one of my picks for the best documentaries of all time (and it has one of the best opening scenes in documentaries). The film is not new to streaming (it’s been on Max and The Criterion Channel) nor is it otherwise having a significant release this week. But it is airing on TCM again, and it’s sure to be streaming on the TCM app afterward. The first of Barbara Kopple’s two Oscar-winning documentaries following workers’ strikes, Harlan County U.S.A. is raw and rustic with a refined point of view. It’s easy to feel nostalgia while watching, not for the time and place it’s set in but for the type of filmmaking (and film stock used) on display. If more documentaries were this exceptional, there would be more classic documentaries on TCM.
Harlan County U.S.A. airs on TCM on Saturday, November 2.
Harrod Blank Documentaries
The Criterion Channel has long been a home for Les Blank documentaries. Now it’s time for his son to be represented on the streaming platform. Harrod Blank is similarly focused on American culture and subculture, but he’s specifically known for documenting the art car movement with films such as Wild Wheels and Automorphosis. The Criterion’s showcase, titled “Meet Harrod Blank” also includes his documentaries about a modern caveman and a trans woman — Dugout Dick and Why Can't I Be Me? Around You, respectively — and a film about him. The platform also separately is debuting an early film shot by Les Blank, so it’s a family affair this week.
The five films presented as “Meet Harrod Blank” begin streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, November 1.
Luther: Never Too Much (2024)
Luther Vandross died almost 20 years ago, but the documentary Luther: Never Too Much makes it feel as though he’s still with us. The singer’s life and career are chronicled by Dawn Porter, director of the biographical doc John Lewis: Good Trouble and the archival doc The Lady Bird Diaries. This one is more archival, and I love it when films like this have so much life and soul in them despite being primarily old footage. It’s especially impressive given that a lot of the archival material isn’t pristine quality, leaning so heavily on TV clips. That’s the power of Porter’s storytelling and the seamless editing as it rolls along through the years and subnarratives of this beautiful tribute and portrait to an unforgettable voice.
Luther: Never Too Much opens in theaters on Friday, November 1.
Made in England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger (2024)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger plays like a film studies course on one of cinema’s greatest partnerships. What makes it interesting is that our instructor is Martin Scorsese (by way of David Hinton’s direction), and it’s a joy to experience Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s life and films — including The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus — through his memories and analysis. At times it’s more a film about Scorsese’s appreciation of Powell and Pressburger rather than an objective course, but it’s a good perspective to have. For more of my thoughts, you can find my review of Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger from last summer.
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, November 5, and it will air on TCM, followed by a showing of The Red Shoes, on the night of Thursday, November 7.
Music By John Williams (2024)
Another music biography, this documentary is directed by Laurent Bouzereau (Faye) but it’s also clearly steered by Steven Spielberg, who appears in the film and is one of its producers. Bouzereau has made a ton of behind-the-scenes and DVD bonus feature material for Spielberg in the past, so their connection is almost as notable, if not nearly as noteworthy, as Spielberg’s connection to John Williams. I’ll say that Music by John Williams is a lot more vibrant and substantial than I expected from a Disney+ doc celebrating someone known for creating or contributing to a lot of Disney-owned content. You get a full understanding of where Williams came from, how he got to his larger-than-life status in the industry, and most importantly, how he crafted certain classic film scores. It’s a great complement to the even better Ennio released this year.
Music by John Williams opens in theaters on Friday, November 1.
No Other Land (2024)
If you see one other new release highlighted this week besides Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, make it No Other Land. This is an important documentary for the moment, as it follows a few years in the struggle of Palestinian villagers in the Masafer Yatta section of the West Bank while their homes are bulldozed to supposedly make way for an Israeli military training ground. It depicts Israeli soldiers and settlers as bullies and thugs, as many films have done before, but this documentary leads right into the greater conflict begun in October 2023 — which is when No Other Land was initially finished and intended to be done.
There’s also a metatextuality to this film in the way it partly focuses on an Israeli journalist (Yuval Abraham, who is also one of the doc’s directors) trying to shed light on what’s happening to these Palestinians (he’s called a “human rights Israeli” but is also scorned by others for being Israeli). This reporter talks about not getting a lot of views on his coverage and how stories like this move people for only a brief amount of time. Hopefully, the film, which also is directed by and about Palestinian activist Basel Adra, will get a lot of views and move a lot of people for a long time through its powerfully empathetic look at people having to devote their whole lives to surviving and rebuilding and surviving and rebuilding.
No Other Land opens in theaters on Friday, November 1.
Susan Froemke Documentaries
The third filmmaker tribute this week is not associated with any curated streaming program but for Susan Froemke’s birthday, which is on November 5. Froemke is not a famous enough name even though she was one of the editors and producers of Grey Gardens (now streaming on Max and The Criterion Channel). She continued to work with the Maysles brothers for the next decade, co-directing their 1985 film Ozawa (not currently streaming anywhere) and further collaborating with Albert Maysles after David’s death on such docs as Christo in Paris (The Criterion Channel) and Abortion: Desperate Choice (Max). With the surviving Maysles and Deborah Dickson, Froemke received an Oscar nomination for LaLee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton (not currently streaming anywhere) in 2002.
She took off on her own after that but found her next greatest attention partnering with Matthew Heineman on 2012’s Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (now on Prime Video, Amazon Freevee, and Tubi, and free on Fandango at Home). This was a more conventionally structured issue film with talking heads and an aim for impact, yet the firsthand human-interest stories followed between the direct discourse have a verite sensibility that carries the Maysles legacy forward, too. The same can be said of parts of Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman (not currently available), which she made with John Hoffman and Beth Aala. Froemke has also shown an interest in the opera, evident with recent films like Wagner’s Dream (VOD via Apple) and The Opera House (VOD via Apple), and installments of The Metropolitan Opera HD Live.
Documentary Release Calendar 11/1/24 - 11/7/24
Friday, November 1, 2024
After: Poetry Destroys Silence (2024) - A feature documentary about poetry involving the Holocaust. (In Theaters)
Agent of Happiness (2024) - A documentary following a man as he travels the Bhutanese Himalayas surveying people's happiness. (In Theaters)
Amisk (1977) - A short documentary by Alanis Obomsawin about fundraising for the James Bay Cree as they fought against hydroelectric projects. (MUBI)
Automorphosis (2009) - A documentary by Harrod Blank about people who turn their cars into works of art. (The Criterion Channel)
Blue Room (2022) - A short documentary about incarcerated men and women watching nature videos. Presented as part of an ongoing showcase of Field of Vison’s If/Then initiative supporting marginalized voices. (The Criterion Channel)
The Body Is A House Of Familiar Rooms (2021) - A short documentary about a man diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Presented as part of an ongoing showcase of Field of Vison’s If/Then initiative supporting marginalized voices. (The Criterion Channel)
Bums’ Paradise (2003) - A documentary about men and women living in a landfill facing eviction. (The Criterion Channel)
Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010) - A documentary by Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) about lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (Tubi)
Chasing Chasing Amy (2024) - A feature documentary about the legacy and impact of Kevin Smith’s film Chasing Amy. (In Theaters)
Christmas at Moose Factory (1971) - A short documentary by Alanis Obomsawin set at a residential school depicting Christmastime through the drawings and stories of the children there. (MUBI)
Crumb (1994) - A feature documentary about cartoonist Robert Crumb. (Tubi)
Danton’s Death (2011) - A medium-length documentary by Alice Diop about a Black man in Paris studying to be an actor. (Metrograph At Home)
Doc of Chucky (2024) - A documentary about the Child’s Play horror film and TV franchise. (Shudder)
Dreama Team (2023) - A documentary about an ultramarathon runner. (DVD and VOD)
Dugout Dick (2022) - A short documentary by Harrod Blank and Joanne Shen about an Idaho man living in a cave. (The Criterion Channel)
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) - A stand-up comedy concert film starring the titular actor and comedian. (Hulu)
Everybody’s Watching (2024) - A short documentary about New York’s Muslim Community Patrol as they combat a rise in hate crimes. Presented as part of an ongoing showcase of Field of Vison’s If/Then initiative supporting marginalized voices. (The Criterion Channel)
Honeyland (2019) - A two-time-Oscar-nominated documentary about beekeepers. (Tubi)
Incident at Restigouche (1984) - A documentary by Alanis Obomsawin about government-sanctioned police raids on a reservation in Quebec. (MUBI)
It's All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football (2024) - A documentary about the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the scandal with Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso without consent. (Netflix)
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993) - A feature documentary by Alanis Obomsawin about the Oka Crisis, a siege of a Native American reservation in Canada. (MUBI)
Last Things (2023) - An experimental, medium-length documentary exploring evolution and extinction from the perspective of rocks. (Metrograph At Home)
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004) - A feature documentary about middle-aged bowlers. (Tubi)
Luther: Never Too Much (2024) - A feature documentary by Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble) about singer Luther Vandross. (In Theaters)
Madulu, the Seaman (2023) - A short documentary about a young athlete in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines learning to hunt pilot whales. Presented as part of an ongoing showcase of Field of Vison’s If/Then initiative supporting marginalized voices. (The Criterion Channel)
Mother of Many Children (1977) - A documentary by Alanis Obomsawin about Indigenous women. (MUBI)
Music by John Williams (2024) - A feature documentary directed by Laurent Bouzereau (Faye) about the titular film composer. (In Theaters)
My Name Is Kahentiiosta (1995) - A short documentary by Alanis Obomsawin about a Kahnawake Mohawk woman arrested after the 1990 Oka Crisis. (MUBI)
No Other Land (2024) - An award-winning documentary about Israel’s destruction of a Palestinian residential area of the West Bank and an alliance between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist. (In Theaters)
October H8te (2024) - A documentary produced by actress Debra Messing about Israel’s war with Hamas from the perspective of Americans. (In Theaters)
Oh My God! It's Harrod Blank! (2008) - A documentary about the titular filmmaker. (The Criterion Channel)
On Call (2016) - A medium-length documentary by Alice Diop about a doctor treating refugees in Paris. (Metrograph At Home)
Our Dad, Danielle (2024) - A documentary about a transgender woman who comes out to her family at age 57. (VOD)
A Place on the Edge of Breath (2022) - A short documentary following a year in the lives of a trans woman and her boyfriend. Presented as part of an ongoing showcase of Field of Vison’s If/Then initiative supporting marginalized voices. (The Criterion Channel)
Seven Second Love Affair (1965) - A medium-length documentary by Robert Abel and shot by Les Blank about drag racing. (The Criterion Channel)
Songs of Earth (2023) - A feature documentary by Margreth Olin following her father in the nature and mountains of his home in Norway. (The Criterion Channel)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat - An essay film surrounding the independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, and the incident where jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crashed the UN Security Council in 1960. (In Theaters)
Stoney Knows How (1981) - A short documentary about a master tattoo artist. (The Criterion Channel)
This Ain't No Mouse Music (2013) - A feature documentary about roots music icon and record company executive Chris Strachwitz. (The Criterion Channel)
Tonsler Park (2017) - A documentary showcasing voting precincts in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Election Day in 2016. (The Criterion Channel)
Towards Tenderness (2016) - A short documentary by Alice Diop featuring four men discussing masculinity. (Metrograph At Home)
When It’s Good, It’s Good (2022) - A short documentary about the oil industry’s impact on a rural West Texas town. Presented as part of an ongoing showcase of Field of Vison’s If/Then initiative supporting marginalized voices. (The Criterion Channel)
Why Can't I Be Me? Around You (2019) - A documentary by Harrod Blank and Sjoerd Djik about a trans woman. (The Criterion Channel)
Wild Wheels (1992) - A medium-length documentary by Harrod Blank about art-cars. (The Criterion Channel)
Youth (Spring) (2023) - A three-and-a-half-hour documentary by Wang Bing (West of the Tracks) about the textile industry of Zhili, China. (Metrograph At Home)
Zydeco (1984) - A medium-length documentary about the titular music genre. (The Criterion Channel)
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Endurance (2024) - A feature documentary by Natalie Hewit and Oscar-winning filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (The Rescue) about the titular ship that wrecked in Antarctica over a century ago. (Hulu and Disney+)
Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) - An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. (TCM)
Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins Season 3, Episode 12: “Lying in Plain Sight” - The latest episode of this crime docuseries focuses on a murdered TV news anchor. (Oxygen True Crime)
MGM Parade Show #21 (1956) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Champ, Ziegfeld Follies, and The Last Hunt. (TCM)
Philly Homicide Season 1, Episode 2: “The Center City Devil” - The latest episode of this new docuseries following Philadelphia detectives concerns a murdered hospital employee and hunt for a serial killer. (Oxygen)
To Catch a Smuggler: Tropical Takedown Episode 5: “Boat Full of Blow” - The latest episode of this spinoff of To Catch a Smuggler focused on the cocaine trade in the Caribbean. (National Geographic)
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Interview with a Killer Episode 3: “Catfishing for Murder” - The latest episode of this new docuseries featuring interviews with five convicted murderers focuses on Denali Brehmer. (Court TV)
Motorcycle Mary (2024) - A short documentary from the 30 for 30 franchise about America’s first female motorcycle racer, Mary McGee. (ESPN2 and ESPN+)
A Plan to Kill Episode 2: “When Kindness Kills” - The second episode of this new true-crime docuseries about meticulously planned out murders. (Oxygen)
Monday, November 4, 2024
Boomers (2024) - A documentary about the Boomer generation. (Nebula)
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! (2022) - A four-part docuseries about the movies, video games, and more of 1982. (DVD and Blu-ray)
The American Question (2024) - A feature documentary about the roots of polarization in the U.S. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Citizen Weiner (2024) - A documentary following an out-of-work actor running for office in New York City. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Game Changers (2024) - An eight-part docuseries about iconic games. (Discovery)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024) - A feature documentary about the filmmaking collaborations of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Read our review of Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Wolfman's Got Nards (2018) - A feature documentary about the legacy and fandom of the film Monster Squad. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
It Came from Aquarius Records (2022) - A documentary about the titular independent record store in San Francisco. (Ovid)
La Paloma - The Melody of Longing (2008) - A documentary about the traditional Spanish song “La Paloma,” or “The Dove.” (Ovid)
Starring Jerry as Himself (2023) - A feature documentary about an immigrant in Orlando recruited to join the Chinese police as an undercover agent. (In Theaters)
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Ancient Bodies: Secrets Revealed Episode 3: “Weerdinge Couple: Mysterious Double Murder” - The latest episode of this new archaeological docuseries focuses on two bodies found in the Netherlands. (National Geographic)
Countdown: Paul vs Tyson (2024) - A three-part docuseries about the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. (Netflix)
Dateline: The Smoking Gun Season 1, Episode 6: “A Dangerous Man - The latest episode of this true crime docuseries in the Dateline franchise focused on evidence that will crack a case. (Oxygen True Crime)
The Great Warning (2024) - A feature documentary about an apocalyptic event on Earth. (In Theaters)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024) - A feature documentary about the filmmaking collaborations of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Read our review of Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger. (TCM)
MGM Parade Show #21 (1956) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Champ, Ziegfeld Follies, and The Last Hunt. (TCM)
Selling Superman (2024) - A feature documentary about a comic book collector selling his copy of Superman #1. (VOD)
What Remains on the Way (2021) - A documentary about Guatemalan migrants traveling to the U.S. (Ovid)
Sneak Peak At What’s Coming Soon
11/12 - Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands - A feature documentary chronicling the history of boy bands. Watch the film’s new trailer below. (Paramount+)
11/13 - Call Me Ted - A six-part docuseries about Ted Turner. (Max)
11/15 - The World According to Allee Willis - A feature documentary about the titular artist/songwriter. Watch the new trailer for the film here. (In Theaters and VOD)
11/20 - Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy - A documentary revealing how the top brands keep people buying. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Netflix)
11/18 - Leonardo da Vinci - A two-part documentary by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon about the titular Renaissance painter. (PBS)
11/19 - Making Manson - A three-part docuseries about Charles Manson. Watch the new trailer for the documentary here. (Peacock)
11/22 - I Am Ready, Warden - A short documentary about a convicted murderer about to be executed and the son of his victim. Nominated for a Critics Choice Documentary Award. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Paramount+)
12/9 - Sugarcane - A feature documentary about abused and missing children at an Indian residential school. Read our review of Sugarcane and our interview with filmmakers Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat. (National Geographic)
12/10 - Sugarcane - See above. (Hulu and Disney+)