#documentaries reviewed

[documentariesreviewed]

The World Before Her (2012)

The World Before Her

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Viewing: Netflix Instant

This documentary was fascinating. It juxtaposes a Hindu nationalist group's girls camp with the Miss India beauty pageant. This is so powerful because the viewer is forced to see the apparent differences between the two, but also the similarities that they have. I would suggest this documentary if you are interested in the modern movement in India or just want to learn more about what these young Indian girls are facing as they grow up in this country. It was a really thought provoking documentary and left me feeling unsure of who I was supposed to feel for more. My heart breaks for these girls whose worth is wrapped up in their looks or their fight for their families approval. Worth watching. 

-Brianna

I too thought this was a very interesting documentary. It is interesting how many things influence people to do different things. The culture that the Hindu girls were immersed and the one of the pageant girls was strikingly different and yet at the same time very similar. They were all wholeheartedly wrapped up in a type of lifestyle that brought them self worth. I don't fall on either side of this culture that was portrayed but I find them to be fascinating. 

-Megan

[documentariesreviewed]

Girl Model (2011)

Girl Model

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Viewing: Netflix Instant

Ugh. This documentary. Half of me wanted to love it and half of me wanted to hate it. According to IMDB, this is "a documentary on the modeling industry's 'supply chain' between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S., told through the experiences of the scouts, agencies, and a 13-year-old model" and that is what it is about. I wish it had had a clearer message. The model's story was heartbreaking. The scout's story was sad. The agencies stance was confusing. I was left with heartbreak over what is happening to these poor models, but I'm not sure that was what I was supposed to leave with. All in all, I would have liked this documentary a lot more if it was made better. But the quality wasn't that good, and the story was not put together well. 

Watch it if you want... That's all I have to say.

-Brianna

[documentariesreviewed]

Jig

Jig

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Viewing: Netflix Instant

Another dance documentary watched, another dance documentary loved. It is seriously my favorite genre of documentary. Jig follows competitors as they train for the 40th Irish Dancing World Championships. What more do I have to say to make you want to watch it? It's incredible to watch these dancers train and see how much hard work they put into their dancing. All I can say is wow, and watch this documentary. 

- Brianna

[documentariesreviewed]

Fame High

Fame High

Rating: 4 out of 5

Viewing: Netflix Instant

I think we are a little addicted to watching documentaries about talented teenagers. Especially dancers. It's crazy. This particular film follows students attending Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), also known as Fame High. These students are musicians, dancers, and actors, and some of them have crazy parents. The parents were almost more entertaining to watch than the students. I loved seeing these students plan for the future as they followed their passions. The only reason this didn't get five stars is because I didn't love it as much as I loved other dance documentaries I have seen, like First Position. All in all, watch it if you like seeing talented kids follow their dreams. 

- Brianna and Megan

[documentariesreviewed]

Craigslist Joe

Craigslist Joe

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Viewing: Netflix Streaming

We found this movie by browsing through documentaries on Netflix and we thought it looked interesting. The documentary is about a guy who decided to live off of Craigslist for 31 days. He left his house with no money and a promise of no contact with any family or friends. He got a camera guy to follow him around and they both went out for a month. He started in LA and ended up going all the way around the country (and even into Mexico). THis project was very interesting in the people that he met and the amount that people are willing to share in their lives with complete strangers. The reason we didn't give this movie 5 stars is because there were a few parts that were not great for younger viewers or mixed company as one of the people he stayed with was a Dominatrix. Although, however, this was a great documentary full of fun stories and a true look at living off of the kindness of others. 

-Megan and Brianna

[documentariesreviewed]

March of the Penguins

March of the Penguins

Rating: 2 of 5 stars

Viewing: Movie Theater 

We saw this movie when it first came out in the theaters so this review is a long time in its coming. The biggest memory that we have of this movie was the theater was freezing cold and the movie was not nearly exciting enough to take our minds off of the arctic theater temperatures (not to mention the arctic temperatures in the movie). The movie was interesting if you like penguins a lot but there is only so much we could stand of them. The life of animals in the arctic is interesting, I only wish we could have heard more about things other than the penguins, then that would have held my interest more. If you are going to see this movie I recommend lots of blankets or watch it during a hot summers day. 

-Megan and Brianna

[documentariesreviewed]

Vegucated

Vegucated

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Viewed: Netflix Streaming

I love watching documentaries about the food industry however I tend to view them very differently then some people. This movie follows a lady who convinced three people to become vegan for six weeks. At the beginning they were all medically tested and then given training in how to eat vegan. During the six weeks they went to conferences, visited farms and learned a lot about the meat industry. This documentary is not for the faint of heart as there are lots of disturbing images about the treatment of animals. There reason I gave this such a low rating is because it was a very low quality video and also quite one-sided. There was a lot of talk about how eating vegan is so much healthier but then the first thing that they pick out as vegan in the store is cake mix and frosting...moments like that don't really make me think that eating vegan is all that healthy.

-Megan

[documentariesreviewed]

American Teacher

American Teacher

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Viewed: Netflix Streaming 

This documentary is all about teacher salaries. It follows a few teachers who are all in different places in their careers and working through different issues. There were teachers who had two jobs to support their families, one teacher who stopped teaching because he couldn't support his family, a pregnant teacher figuring out maternity leave and another teacher who lives with her parents in the summer in order to save money to live while teaching during the year. It is a great look at the amount of work that goes into teaching and the lack of a competitive salary to support that work. The three star rating is due to a little too much political talk without looking at any other sides to the argument. However, I do recommend this to any teachers out there.

-Megan