Very rarely do documentaries leave me genuinely enraged. Upset sometimes, often annoyed, but rarely enraged. Yet Blackfish‘s showcasing of the despicable treatment of the killer whales at Sea World, as well as the appalling the risk nonchalantly placed upon the water park’s staff, left me borderline apoplectic. This is documentary filmmaking at its leanest and meanest, passing on its message with efficiency while never detracting from the tragedies it addresses -tragedies that until now had passed so many of us by.
[h2]5. Nebraska[/h2]
Alexander Payne won over the typically snooty Cannes Film Festival with a black and white, middle-American road movie that both mourned and celebrated the glories and travails of old age. Bruce Dern is absolutely fantastic as Woody, a semi-senile old coot dragging his exasperated son on a futile pan-state quest to claim a million dollars.
The film strikes a perfect balance of melancholy and humour – it never wallows in the gloom of Woody’s declining years, but neither does it trivialize them. A familiar setup is elevated by an absolutely wonderful cast of characters, particularly a perfect turn from June Squibb as Woody’s long-suffering and marvelously brash wife.
Nebraska is a quiet film, but it’s that dignified, affectionate kind of quiet that seems just right.