Film: Colonialism, Professional Wrestling, Kazuo Hara

We have a ton of new reviews out this week! There's a docuseries on colonialism, a queer summer love

Film Jun 18, 2021 • View in browser

We have a ton of new reviews out this week! There’s a docuseries on colonialism, a queer summer love story, a look at China’s middle class, a documentary about the Sparks Brothers, and much more. Enjoy!— Dan Schindel, Associate Editor for Documentary

Raoul Peck's Frustratingly Incomplete Treatise on Colonialism For all its bluntness, Exterminate All the Brutes never once utters the words “rape” or “capitalism.” Aditya Iyer

Illuminating Professional Wrestling's Most Unsavory Episodes The docuseries Dark Side of the Ring is a much-needed corrective to the official story wrestling tells about itself. Nadine Smith

"Summer of 85" Captures the Power (and Angst) of Queer First Love The latest film from acclaimed director François Ozon revels in the messy imperfection of youth. Sam Moore

SPONSORED The O’Keeffe and Wheelwright Museums Present "Following Enchantment's Line" This short film celebrating the diverse cultural connections of Santa Fe will premiere in a virtual event with renowned dancers Jock Soto and Harrison Coll.

The Industry and Leisure of the World's Largest Middle Class Jessica Kingdon’s new film Ascension documents the factories, etiquette centers, and other contemporary curiosities of China. Hrag Vartanian

The Japanese Town That's Been Fighting Industrial Pollution for Decades MINAMATA Mandala, the latest documentary by veteran filmmaker Kazuo Hara, captures the resilience of people left behind by their government. Ren Scateni

In Remote Russia, Willem Dafoe Confronts His Demons Abel Ferrara’s Siberia is an alternately nightmarish and transcendent journey through the subconscious. Justine Smith

An In-depth Look at the Art-Pop Music Duo Sparks Edgar Wright’s epic-length documentary The Sparks Brothers preaches to the choir, but the choir will love it. Nadine Smith

In Remote Russia, Willem Dafoe Confronts His Demons Abel Ferrara’s “Siberia” is an alternately nightmarish and transcendent journey through the subconscious. Justine Smith

An In-depth Look at the Art-Pop Music Duo Sparks Edgar Wright’s epic-length documentary “The Sparks Brothers” preaches to the choir, but the choir will love it. Nadine Smith

What to Stream

Kazuo Hara and Sachiko Kobayashi behind the scenes of 1972's "Goodbye CP"

Ela Bittencourt rounds up indie movies in which love triangles lead to murder and other messiness.For the rest of the month, Japan Society is running an online retrospective of films by director/producer duo Kazuo Hara and Sachiko Kobayashi. For 50 years, they’ve been making offbeat work about the outcasts of Japanese society.

See you in the theater!

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