Category: ‘Documentary/Non-Fiction’
I’m Still Here (2010) – But Most of Us Aren’t
You need to see "I'm Still Here", the documentary/mockumentary of the spectacular fall from grace of actor Joaquin Phoenix, directed by his brother-in-law, Casey Affleck. The central question posed by this film concerns the nature of this dividing line and how it gets drawn by contemporary culture and media. Its skill lies in the way it blocks us from drawing this line in the ways to which we are accustomed.
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson
One of the most extraordinary things about the financial crisis that occurred in 2008 is the fact that most people have no idea that we almost came to the brink of complete collapse. This ignorance is borne ultimately of a general lack of understanding about the ways in which financial concepts determine the very essence [...]
The Century of the Self – BBC Documentary (by Adam Curtis)
Adam Curtis does not shy away from controversial subject matters in his documentaries, nor does he hold back from taking a particular point of view, eschewing the idea of a neutral narrator. In his 2002, 4 part documentary series 'The Century of the Self' he explores the influence of public relations techniques developed by Edward Bernay's in the 1920's (which, in turn were influenced by his uncle Sigmund Freud) - in particular, their relationship to the evolving conception of the individual self in the twentieth century.
