In early-mid 2024, we will be deleting this page (Documentaries & Films) and merging the content to the Videos page.
Disclosure
Disclosure (2020) is a documentary that examines the history of trans folk in movies and television. Similar to the Celluloid Closet (1995), the film reveals how presentations of trans characters evolved over time, often in more progressive and empowering ways. Yet the controlling images from the past still affect public perceptions of trans people. Becoming aware of these insidious stereotypes will help advance trans representation in film and other social arenas.
Cooked: Survival by Zipcode
Jawline
Hillbilly
Hail Satan?
2019, 1h 35m… The film does a fantastic job of presenting The Satanic Temple as a social movement fighting against the codification of Christianity in American society. We learn that the Constitution does not establish the United States as a Christian nation, and that efforts to formalize Christianity in government largely began with the evangelical lobby of the 1950s. This was the time where “under God” was added to the pledge of allegiance and “In God We Trust” was added to money. Interestingly, part of the success of the evangelical lobby was its ability to connect capitalism with Christianity based on the godless communist threat of era. Ever since this time, politicians and advocates have been trying to impose more Christian elements in our government, such as prayer services before public hearings and Ten Commandments monuments in capital buildings. The Satanic Temple arose to counter these encroachments through creative activism.
Tickled
Tickled is basically a film about how the YouTube-based world of “competitive tickling” is a run by a secretive exploitative millionaire named David D’Amato, a man who inherited his fortune and served as an assistant principal to 8 different high schools over the course of just 10 years. D’Amato would pay young straight men to tickle and be tickled by their friends, all on film, all completely clothed, and all under the guise of a homophobic, pseudo-religious media organization called Jane O’Brien media.
Lady Bird
A coming of age film set in the mid-2000s, Lady Bird follows the senior year of a student as she resists the soul-crushing conformity of her Catholic high school. Several key themes in this film are deviance, identity, and social class. Lady Bird comes from a working-class family experiencing downward mobility which sets her aside from the more privileged students at her private school. As a result, she periodically attempts to pass as economically-secure, and nowhere is this more evident than in her pursuit of popular friends.
Voyeur
I, Tonya
This scripted film depicts the rise and fall of Tonya Harding through documentary-style “interviews” with her family and friends. Tonya’s life is marred by “the incident” where her main competitor is disabled by a pair of amateur hitmen. The film captures the iconic scene nicely as well— whereas crimes are usually depicted smoothly in film, we are treated to the sloppy reality of the incident and the sheer stupidity of those responsible.
Mommy Dead and Dearest
This documentary forces the viewer to contemplate criminal responsibility and the inadequacies of our current system in dealing with victims of abuse. It also make one contemplate the power of modern medicine as an institution, as hundreds of healthcare professionals must have encountered Gypsy without becoming suspicious.
Icarus
Revelations made in this film implicate all levels of the Russian state bureaucracy, nearly every Russian athlete, and the International Olympic Committee which turned a blind eye for years. The film makes us question the fairness of modern athletics and whether steroid-free sports are still possible.
Obit
Who gets an obituary in the New York Times? This documentary gives us a glimpse inside the most prestigious obituary outlet in modern day America. Editors and writers tell us what makes for a good obituary as well as the types of people they profile in these widely-read life histories. We also learn about the history of obits such as how old obits avoided words like “death” or “died”. Moreover, did you know many obituaries of famous people are written well before they die? These are called “advances” and are often composed when notable individuals become ill or pass a certain age.
The Florida Project
By far, this was my favorite film of 2017/18. Though it was shunned by mainstream awards committees, I bet the sociologist in you will find this more true-to-life than any other film from last year. Furthermore, this would be an excellent movie to show to students of sociology because it exhibits so many concepts and social problems. Yet what makes this film particularly beautiful is that the characters exhibit agency and empathy in their complex relationships.
Best Documentaries of 2017
Best Documentaries of 2017
by Matt Reid on 1/13/2018
This year may have been a mess of depressing news, but the selection of documentaries made available on streaming services has been impressive to say the least. As a documentary aficionado, I am always excited to discover new films containing sociological themes and I am happy to have the opportunity to share with you my favorite selections from this past year. These films may not be as educative as they are captivating, but I think all of them will spark your interests as explorers of the social world. All of these films had me engaged from start to finish, and some even had me screaming furiously at the TV or jumping for joy at the downfall of a real-life villain. Nonetheless, I hope you find these films as thrilling as I did, and maybe you will spot other sociological themes outside of those I highlighted below.
These are my picks for the top 5 documentaries of 2017 with honorable mentions included. All of these films were released to at-home audiences this year although a few may have had theatrical debuts in 2016. I am sure there are many critical reviews of these film written much better than what I managed below, and if my description fails to move you, I hope you still give the film a chance (or watch the trailer at the very least). All of my reviews here are spoiler-free too. Winter break is coming… Have you prepared your watch list yet?
#5: Obit.
Amazon Prime, 1h 33min
Who gets an obituary in the New York Times? This documentary gives us a glimpse inside the most prestigious obituary outlet in modern-day America. Editors and writers tell us what makes for a good obituary as well as the type of person they profile in these widely-read life histories. Many people aspire to an obituary in the NYT—in fact, it’s become a form of social status—but only a precious few get in, mostly people who made headlines during their lives. Sociological themes include: Social status, culture, the media, objectivity, and death/dying…
#4: Icarus
Netflix, 2h 1min
This documentary explores the systematic doping of Russian athletes in the Olympic games through information revealed by a whistleblower who was once in charge of the doping program. Furthermore, as the whistleblower flees Russia in response to threats to his life, he becomes the responsibility of the filmmaker-turned-caretaker. We learn how the deception of Olympic officials was accomplished, how the Russian government directly sponsored the illegal doping program, and how far the Russian government was willing to go in their attempts to cover up the mess—denials, lies, and assassinations. Revelations made in this film implicate the entire Russian government, nearly every Russian athlete, and the International Olympic Committee which turned a blind eye for years. The film makes us question the fairness of modern athletics and whether steroid-free sports are still possible. Sociological themes include: Sports, state-sponsored crime, power…
#3: Mommy Dead and Dearest
HBO, 1h 22min
When Gypsy Rose Blanchard aided in the murder of her mother back in 2015, friends and family were shocked-- not only because of the murder but because they all knew Gypsy as a sickly, wheel-chair bound girl physically incapable of such an act. This documentary explores a fascinating case of “Munchausen syndrome by proxy” (aka factitious disorder imposed on another), an abusive situation whereby a parent or guardian forces an imagined illness onto a vulnerable dependent. As a result, the once-healthy person often becomes sick from forced treatments and/or unnecessary medication. Gypsy’s mother was guilty of this terrible practice and used Gypsy’s conjured illness to elicit sympathy, money, and other kindnesses from family, friends, and neighbors. The con went on for over a decade until Gypsy’s desire to break free led her and her Internet-boyfriend to kill the mother. Gypsy ends up on trial for the murder despite the fact that her acts were arguably justified. This documentary forces the viewer to contemplate criminal responsibility and the inadequacies of our current system in dealing with victims of abuse. Sociological themes include: Families, health & illness, child abuse, criminal justice, victimology, power, and sexuality...
#2: Voyeur
Netflix, 1h 36min
This documentary has 2 subjects. The first is Gerald Foos, a voyeur who secretly observed guests at his motel. Foos built an observation platform above the motel’s rooms and spent decades spying on guests through fake ceiling air vents. In violating the privacy of his guests, Foos witness their unmanaged, backstage selves in addition to sexual acts, heated arguments, and even a murder. Even more intriguing, Foos considers this to be his “research”. We see Foos candidly discuss his method of voyeurism and brag about the perverse details of his observations, all free from consequence since the statute of limitations has long expired. Yet we only know of Guy Foos thanks to Gay Talese, an iconic literary journalist and the second primary focus of this documentary. Talese began collaborating with Foos in the 1980s, and we get a behind-the-scenes look into the publishing process of Talese’s latest book, “The Voyeur’s Motel”. Throughout the documentary, Talese reflects on journalistic standards, ethics, and his role in exposing the voyeur. Needless to say, Talese knew of Foos’ criminal activity for years and did nothing to prevent the continued victimization of the motel guests. Regardless, the audience is treated to a thrilling journey of ethical conundrums, plot twists, and raw deviant behavior. Sociological themes include: Deviance, research ethics, issues of consent and privacy, the role of the researcher, credibility and objectivity, power, and the media...
#1: Tickled
HBO, 1h 32min
This documentary isn’t really about tickling. Rather, it’s a documentary about masculinity, domination, fetishes, and the media. It’s also my favorite documentary of the year, thanks in part to an additional 21-minute update just as bizarre as the film itself. Tickled is basically a film about how the YouTube-based world of “competitive tickling” is run by a secretive exploitative millionaire named David D’Amato, a man who inherited his fortune and served as an assistant principal to 8 different high schools over the course of just 10 years. D’Amato would pay young straight men to tickle and be tickled by their friends, all on film, all completely clothed, and all under the guise of a homophobic, pseudo-religious media organization called Jane O’Brien media. D’Amato would entice young, working-class men to do humiliating, homoerotic acts on video and eventually use such tapes as blackmail to retain their financial dependency. What we essentially see is a cowardly man accomplishing masculinity through threats, intimidation, and the brutalization (and emasculation) of younger men. When a gay filmmaker from New Zealand begins to investigate this matter, he becomes a target of D’Amato's abuse as well. We get to see a mess of drama, provocative discoveries, and candid confrontations between the filmmakers and “Jane O’Brien Media”. The film's captivating suspense is made even more fascinating by the fact that all of this competitive tickling nonsense is still going on at this very moment. Sociological themes include: Masculinity, power & control, sexuality, deviance, the media, and the law...
NOTE: Developments after the film’s release are captured in a 21-minute follow-up called “The Tickle King”. Furthermore, another significant development happened after this follow-up’s release! Since I don’t want to spoil anything, I will simply suggest you search for these updates after watching the film.
Honorable Mentions
There are 12 runners-up deserving of special recognition for their captivating engagement of the sociological concepts. In no particular order...
Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show [Hulu] - Comedy and humor, commercialization, media (television), deviance, consumerism, and public tastes... (more info).
Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press [Netflix] - Media (gossip), credibility, public image, pop culture, and censorship... (more info).
Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge [HBO] - Media (journalism), countercultures, pop culture, music, deviance, and social change... (more info).
The Problem with Apu [TruTV] - Race and ethnicity, stereotypes, controlling images, media (television), racism, and oppression... (more info).
My Scientology Movie [Netflix] - Religion, social control, in/out groups, group loyalty, cults, and power... (more info).
The Legend of 420 [Netflix] - Drugs (marijuana), subcultures, countercultures, politics, propaganda, deviance, and criminal justice... (more info).
Ruby Ridge (American Experience) [PBS] - White nationalists, bureaucracies, red tape, state power and control, abuse of force, and media spin... (more info).
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City [Hulu] - Urban sociology, urban decay/renewal, politics, bureaucracies, planned cities, and grassroots activism... (more info).
Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web [Hulu] - File sharing, the Internet, politics, conspiracy, power & control, innovators, and consumerism... (more info).
Unlocking the Cage [HBO] - Animal rights (non-human rights), personhood, legal activism, and anthropocentrism... (more info).
One of Us [Netflix] - Religion, socialization, identity, group affiliation and loyalty, social control, and deviance... (more info).
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson [Netflix] - gender, social movements, intersectionality, violence against trans folk, police negligence, and oppression... (more info).