If you are documentary film fan, and you had to pick just one, then a day like today would surely be an inconvenience. Four docs that preemed at the Sundance Film Festival back in January are finding themselves in theaters in limited release this weekend, and at least three of these are buzz worthy enough for me to want to highlight them here.
Opening in lower Manhattan’s IFC Center is The Order of Myths — a doc set in a rural community called Mobile in Alabama. Directed by Margaret Brown of Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt fame, the filmmaker takes an inquisitive look at the long standing tradition and trimmings of the multiple Mardi Gras events but more importantly, she takes a harder look at racial segregation — another tradition which appears to be long lasting. Look for our exclusive interview with Brown sometime soon. The pic is being released by The Cinema Guild. Brown will be conducting a Q&A after tonite’s pair of screenings.
If segregation is a theme that you find appealing, then you might want to check out the different social groupings in the Breakfast Club of docu films in Nanette Burstein’s (The Kid Stays in the Picture) take on teen life. The unscripted (or scripted?) portrait follows the lives of four teenagers in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. If cinema vérité drama like first dates, shopping and pimples are your thing you’ll want to check out American Teen — which receives a limited release with at least a dozen action plans for an eventual wider release or more strategic pattern if box office culs go well or sour.
The one doc that I’m aching to see, is the much talked about Man on Wire. Helmer James Marsh (The King) offers a portrait on Philippe Petit — a tightrope high-wire specialist who takes his act to new heights. Those with a fear of heights might want to skip this for something closer to the ground. Look for our interview with Marsh in the near future. Magnolia Films releases this picture in limited release.
