Documentaries can be powerful visual records. For after all, they are reflections of real life. You can watch a fiction film and always tell yourself “Oh, it’s only a movie” when a character is shown to suffer. If there is graphic violence, you know that at one point during the filming the director yelled “Cut” and all the actors and extras stood up, wiped away the fake blood, and went off into the night. But you do not have this option while watching a documentary.
These days, so many excellent documentaries are being produced that cover a rainbow of subjects. I see as many as I can-- and here are a couple of new ones that are well-worth pondering.
These days, there is much interest in tracing family histories and exploring the lives of those who came before us. For this reason alone, MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART is extra-special. This poignant, deeply personal documentary had its world premiere at the recent Tribeca Film Festival. In it, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo explores the life of her Uncle Miguel, who was just 31 years old when he passed away in 1987. To his mother, he died of cancer but, in fact, AIDS was what killed him.
Aldarondo only met Miguel once, when she was six years old, and she remembers him as being funny and charming. However, six months later, he was dead and, via recorded conversations, old photos and home movies, and interviews with those who knew him, Aldarondo explores her uncle’s life. What emerges is a portrait of a human being: his habits, his personality, and his foibles. Plus, there is keen insight into everything from how one interprets one’s religion and how one suffers for repressing oneself to what Aldarondo calls the “power of family” and the secrets that individuals often keep from others within their family circle.
Next, there is ALMOST HOLY, which was screened at Tribeca a year ago and has just opened theatrically. ALMOST HOLY is the chilling, staggeringly powerful account of GennadiyMokhnenko, a Ukrainian pastor and no-nonsense advocate for the countless children in his midst who are wallowing in misery. They are destitute, physically or sexually abused, or addicted to drugs, and they are the victims of adults who are greedy-- for example, pharmacists who illegally sell them prescription opiates-- or those maladjusted individuals who horribly mistreat them.
ALMOST HOLY is a full-bodied portrait of a man who is a true humanist, who genuinely loves his country and loves children and faces off against those who would exploit those children. As he tellingly explains, “I don’t need permission to do good deeds.” Some of the visuals here are heartbreaking. There are images of children who clearly are the victims of indescribable abuse. At one point, we are privy to the sad fate of one young boy, now deceased, as he is being buried.
Edited into the film are news reports of the political turmoil involving the Ukraine and Russia: a situation that greatly distresses Gennadiy. “It’s a real dangerous time,” is how he describes his country’s plight. But the focus of ALMOST HOLY is on his deep love for these unfortunate children, and his determination to expose and embarrass those who will abuse them.
Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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