Documentaries can be like taking your brain or your heart to the spa.
Or sometimes its like putting them through the wringer.
Here are some great films from 2019 to go on a journey, no matter the destination.
Credit: Austin Hargrave/Hulu; Sundance Institute; Neon; Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images; Magnolia Pictures
But it didnt take long for my cynicism to dissolve underThe Biggest Little Farms spell.
The pair and their teams commitment is tireless, while their insecurities going into the endeavor are refreshingly bare.
The film answers some of the burning questions about the complexities of farming: What are the biggest costs?
How do you make a farm profitable?
What are the risks and threats?
How many years does it take to achieve working biodiversity?
Read theEW review ofThe Biggest Little Farm.
Theodore Hesburgh, former president of the University Notre Dame to get you hooked and invested in the outcome.
No technical experience necessary.
Read theEW review ofAmazing Grace.
Given the title of this film, this is no fly-on-the-wall POV.
Director Ben Bermans bag is in comedy, having directed dozens of episodes ofComedy Bang!
Bang!, Tim HeideckersOn Cinema, and other left-of-center television likeLady DynamiteandJon Benjamin Has a Van.
A real treat for any film lover, and a creative way to honor the past.
Read theEW review ofThey Shall Not Grow Old.
American Factory
Summer 2019 (Netflix)
I cant believe this film got made.
Its not anything as death-defying as, say,climbing a sheer rock face without safety gear.
Bognar and Reichert are tonal experts, allowingAmerican Factorys working-class portraiture to feel folksy but never flippant.
Hail Satan?
Think less fire and blood, and more about community, culture hacking, and social activism.
With some male nudity.
Read theEW review ofHail Satan?.
Even with her light, no-nonsense demeanor, entertainer and therapist Dr. Ruth scared and still scares!
the sh out of people.
The allegations, in all their graphically intimate and private terms, are shattering and sickening.
Read theEW review ofLeaving Neverland.
