The documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017) 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.
Tickled (2016) is essentially 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.
The documentary Voyeur (2017) has two 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 witnesses 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”
In Icarus (2017, we learn how the deception of Olympic officials was accomplished, how the Russian government directly sponsored the illegal doping program, and how far the government was willing to go in their attempts to cover up the mess—denials, lies, and assassinations. 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.
While any brief description of The Florida Project (2017) may paint the setting and characters as delinquents engaged in a destructive lifestyle, what makes this film beautiful are the extraordinary acts of kindness, love, and mutual support. For example, arguments between characters often later give way to sharing cigarettes and other small acts of compassion. This demonstration of empathy is evident in director Sean Baker’s other films as well, most notably Tangerine (2015).
Hail Satan? (2019) is an exciting documentary that focuses on non-theistic satanism as a means to maintain a secular democracy. The film presents The Satanic Temple as a religious and political organization where satanism functions as a socio-political counter myth. They don’t see themselves as anti-Christianity but rather post-Christianity, and they advocate for religious pluralism. It is very intersectional, too!
Ozark, 2017, 2:20… In the popular Netflix show Ozark, Marty, played by Jason Bateman, is forced into a life of crime, laundering money for drug lords. His family knows about this and wrestles with the morality of this lifestyle. When Marty's son Jonah goes to school, he’s asked to sign a pledge that he will not use drugs. Jonah confronts the teacher with economic contributions or latent functions that the drug trade has for society.
Inside Edition, 2019, 5:17… Are they evil or just misunderstood? The documentary "Hail Satan?" explores those questions while following the rise of the Satanic Temple. Director Penny Lane says the creation of the film took her on a spiritual and educational journey. A goal of her film was to debunk myths and misconceptions about this religion. "Modern Satanism is an atheistic religion," Lane says. "There's no sort of belief in supernatural deities at the core." InsideEdition.com's Mara Montalbano has more.
Vox, 2019, 20:50… While the PMRC’s involvement was allegedly sparked by some raunchy lyrics from Prince’s 1984 album Purple Rain, the debate over rock lyrics had been infiltrating American culture and politics for a decade. The driving force behind that debate was the rise of heavy metal, a genre that saw explosive popularity with the launch of MTV in 1981, and the growing influence of the religious right, who saw rock music as a powerful threat to Christianity.
Vice, 2018, 30:55… Manisha Krishnan travels to Poole's Land, an anarchist commune on the western edge of Canada to figure out what exactly is drawing young people to live on the periphery of society. She ventures into the rainforest and confronts a variety of her deepest fears, but ultimately finds enlightenment in the spirit of the people who inhabit this mysterious place.
ABC News Australia, 2018, 27:14… When big government meets big data, you get 'Social credit', China's new amalgamation of all data points collected on an individual and processed to produce a 'score' that ranks you based on 'trustworthiness'. Score high, and you can reap rewards like lower interest rates or speedier services, but fall foul, and you could end up under effective house arrest.
Inside Edition, 2018, 3:16… Child safety standards have changed over the years. And that's a good thing, because InsideEdition.com has unearthed a number of cringe-worthy examples of how not to care for a child. These include putting a little boy in a cage with a bunch of lions, using your young daughters as props for your knife-throwing act and having your infant hold your skeet-shooting rifle. With antics like these, making it to adulthood may be questionable.
Vice, 2016, 22:11... VICE UK Correspondent Gavin Haynes has come to the United States to determine what masculinity means to the American man. Though stereotypically masculine acts like fraternity hazings, monster truck rallies and food competitions still persist, there is a growing movement of men who are coming together to challenge these conventions and redefine machoism. Gavin meets with a host of these men, including a competitive eater, a troupe of stay-at-home-dads and a radical men's group hosting a slumber party in the woods, to survey the evolution of American masculinity for himself.
