This post is another list, again in no particular order. I watch a lot of movies. I especially like finding good documentaries. Here are some of the ones I’ve found:
1) Home
This one is free to watch online! The beginning is similar to Planet Earth, beautiful sweeping landscapes and a look at the evolution of creation, particularly how plant forms came to trap the Sun’s energy – then looks at what humans have done with that energy and how we are affecting the earth. It might seem like a “we’re all doomed to destroy ourselves’ film, but it ends with great hope. Well worth watching, even if you’re not usually one to chain yourself to a tree or protest the clubbing of baby seals.
You can rent this one online from the website (click the title above) or it’s available on amazon. The film looks at the process of birthing in the USA, specifically how its changed over time with C-sections and medications becoming more prevalent. (I was particularly outraged by the shocking use of Pitocin, a drug used to speed up labour in nearly all hospital births in the USA.) It explores the use of midwives and doulas as an alternative to give pregnant women more power over their own birthing process. It might sound like it’s for the feminists, but trust me – you want to see this if you or your partner are giving birth any time soon.
Myths for Profit explores three myths that shape Canada’s identity: 1) Canada is a peacekeeping nation, 2) Canada’s military purpose is defence, and 3) Canada’s aid is helping people around the world. Controversial, yes?
I haven’t seen this one yet, but I’m hoping to get a copy soon! Ever since my Canadian Literature course in third year of university, I’ve been wondering about this question: what evidence is there to support this notion that Canada is a peacekeeping nation? How is violence connected to that ‘peace’?
Also, it’s nice to see a Canadian documentary compared to all the American ones I watch.
From the website: “exploring one of the 20th century’s most important but least-understood stories – how nonviolent power has overcome oppression and authoritarian rule all over the world.” For those who think that peace only comes from weapons and oppression, this documentary will get you thinking about the effectiveness of non-violent resistance. According to the film, fifty of the last sixty-seven overthrown dictatorships have employed strategic non-violent resistance. The free study guide is a good alternative if you can’t get a copy of the film.
If you’re still interested in a quick overview of the history of non-violence after watching the documentary or reading the study guide, I recommend Mark Kurlansky’s Non-Violence: The History of a Dangerous Idea.
5) Burma VJ
This was free for awhile on The Passionate Eye (another great source for documentaries), but it has been removed now. The Burma VJ website has a list of screenings in the UK and the US, but it might be harder to find it in Canada. Still, it’s worth doing some digging to find.
Do you remember hearing about 400,000 monks in Burma protesting the oppressive military regime (now being called the Saffron Revolution)? The documentary is filmed entirely by underground Burmese video-journalists (VJ) who risked their lives to record the Saffron Revolution in September 2007 and smuggle the footage out of Burma so the world would know. It is because of these guys that you heard anything about it at all.
6) Amandla!
Amandla is the Zulu word for power, a word that was often used like a battle cry by the resistors of apartheid in South Africa. The documentary explores the influence of freedom music during the struggle and provides a great lesson in history for those who might not be familiar with the story of apartheid. It sounds cheesy, but I guarantee you’ll be on your feet dancing by the end of the movie.
This was great to watch following Burma VJ because it reminded me of Gandhi’s words, “that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won.” I was not old enough to remember Mandela’s release from prison and election to power, which ended the struggle against apartheid, but as I watched the footage of him dancing and greeting people after his release I started imagining the day when we will see Aung San Suu Kyi do the same in Burma. I truly believe that day will come.
6) The High Cost of Low Prices
If you’ve never heard (or just never believed) that Walmart is an unjust corporation, you should watch this documentary. It explores how Walmart can afford to sell you that package of pencils for 50 cents or that clock radio for $5. I’m not going to go into details about this one, but please consider watching it before you consider shopping at Walmart again.
Another one free online! This is a short (20 minutes), simple exploration of the cycle of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal that happens to everything we buy. Annie Leonard does a superb job pointing out the flaws in our current system. Consider this:
After World War II, an American retailing expert named Victor Lebow proclaimed:
“Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at ever-increasing rate.”
We didn’t end up where we are today by accident. Over-consumption has been intentionally built into our societies. So now we must ask ourselves how this can be changed.
Also worth mentioning: PBS Frontline and TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. PBS Frontline posts all of their documentaries free online, dating back to the 1980’s. You can find a documentary on just about any topic, well worth perusing. TED posts short videos about innovative ideas, again on just about anything. Enjoy!
Thanks to Jer for this: The Canadian National Film Board also has some good (free) full-feature films/documentaries, and http://fora.tv/ has interesting perspectives on all angles by a bunch of different speakers – some good, fairly recent ones by Muhammad Yunus and Noam Chomsky.
Do you know of other great ones? Post them in the comments or email me and I might add them to the list!
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