SXSW 2022: Top 5 Documentary Features
I was blown away by the documentaries at this year’s SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. A lot of these films were not originally in my planned schedule, but I am so glad I decided to see them in the spur of the moment. Documentaries are my favorite genre of film. I think the world would be a much better place if more people watched more documentaries. I am certainly a better person for watching the following documentaries.
5. Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, dir. Julie Cohen and Betsy West
I was 11 when Gabby Giffords was shot in the parking lot of a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. I remember this was the first time I heard the words “mass shooting.” I didn’t understand the full story back then. I didn’t know that Giffords was meeting with constituents that day. I didn’t know she was pronounced dead at the scene. I didn’t know that she still suffers from the injuries she received that day. And I didn’t know that Gabby Giffords is the most joyful, positive person in the world.
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down balances Giffords’ toughness in her fight for human rights across the board (both before and after the shooting) with her affinity for compassion and love. This is a documentary that tells the story of an amazing woman who was thrust into a world she never imagined for herself. And instead of giving up, she chose to fight for those afflicted by gun violence and give a voice to the voiceless. The latter is not quite as simple, as Giffords has vocal aphasia, a language impairment caused by severe brain damage that prohibits production and comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write.
Giffords’ husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, filmed parts of Gabby’s recovery in her physical and speech therapy sessions. It can be difficult to watch the deep pain she goes through when trying to speak or simply move her fingers. But, as the title insists, she won’t back down from the challenge. Even after making the decision to step back from her Congressional position, she never stops fighting for others, whether they are victims of gun violence, people without proper healthcare, or even the very man who shot her (Gabby and the other victims from Tucson fought for life in prison rather than the death penalty).
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down is a celebration of the joys that can be found in times of tragedy; it is a moving portrait of a woman who dared to demand change and is not stopping any time soon. And that’s something a lot us need right now.
4. A Woman on the Outside, dir. Lisa Riordan Seville and Zara Katz
A Woman on the Outside tells the amazing and heartbreaking story of Kristal Bush, who, as the title suggests is a woman on the outside of the prison system which has taken her father and two of her brothers. As a result, Kristal has taken on the responsibility of raising her brother’s son, Nyvae. Having a loved one in prison can be extremely difficult not only emotionally and spiritually, but also financially. In an attempt to alleviate some of this difficulty, Kristal started a business that provides transportation for families to and from the prison to visit their family inside.
When we talk about prisons, we usually discuss the poor treatment of inmates both inside the prison and then once they are finally free in the outside world. But how often do we spare a thought for their family members on the outside and the struggles that accompany them?
This documentary showcases the power of caring and kindness, as well as the importance of forgiveness and rehabilitation in the prison system. So many people get stuck in the cycle of this system, and it can be tragic. But as Kristal and her family show us, there are also amazing moments of love and joy that arise from the tragedy.
A Woman on the Outside is exactly what I want in a documentary: it informs me on a topic I don’t know much about and connects with me on a deeper level as to why I should care about that topic. This film is a roller-coaster of beautiful highs and heartbreaking lows that come together to tell a story that inspires and informs.
3. Still Working 9 to 5, dir. Camille Hardman and Gary Lane
Still Working 9 to 5 is a powerhouse documentary that dives into the complexities of the issues surrounding women’s rights, the ERA, and the cult-classic comedy 9 to 5. I went to this film for Jane, Lily, and Dolly (the Holy Trinity) expecting to hear some good stories about one of my favorite movies. I did get some of that, but I did not expect to come away with a life changing experience.
9 to 5 is the back-drop to the film — a framing device to showcase the history of the women’s rights movement. We hear from the filmmakers and stars of 9 to 5 about what went into making the movie amidst complaints that 3 women couldn’t hold a studio film on their own (boy, were they wrong). Even with the success of the film, however, it is clear that America in 1980 was very sexist and not ready for progress and change. Thank God we’re past that era…oh wait.
The documentary is full of amazing stories from the heroic women who were on the front lines of the fight for equal rights — to them, we owe everything. Their incredible work has saved and enriched the lives of countless women across the world (And seeing this at SXSW with these very women in the room was indescribably powerful).
Still Working 9 to 5 is a testament to the progress women have made not only in the film industry, but also in the country as a whole. But it is also proof that we have not come very far, either. The issues that Judy, Violet, and Doralee fight against in 9 to 5 are the very same issues that women today are still fighting. We have come a long way, but we still have a lot of work to do.
2. Bad Axe, dir. David Siev
Bad Axe is an incredibly personal documentary from first-time feature director, David Siev. The film is a perfectly-timed vignette of Siev and his family as they navigate the coronavirus pandemic and a wave of neo-Nazi terrorism which sweeps through their hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan.
Siev’s father, Chun, is a Cambodian-American, whose family was forced to flee to America from the Cambodian Killing Fields. And his mother, Rachel, is a Mexican-American. Their family has truly built the American Dream from the ground up with their restaurant, Rachel’s, named after Siev’s mother. The film highlights the very realistic familial tensions that arise during a crisis — whether it is worrying about your parents’ safety from a deadly virus or from anti-immigrant hate. Siev manages to capture the real-time complexities of these conflicts, resulting in a documentary that will break your heart and also make you want to go home and hug your parents.
Bad Axe is unlike any other documentary I have seen. It encapsulates this scary and uncertain time we are living in with an emphasis on humanity and love. I truly hope this film reaches larger audiences in the months to come.
1. Mama Bears, dir. Daresha Kyi
As a Christian, it is extremely frustrating to see people that I should be identifying with, work so fervently in opposition to the message of Christ. In the past couple of years, it has been hard for me to even identify as a Christian because I do not want to associate myself with the hatred and bigotry that (for some unknown reason) seems to always accompany this religion which preaches radical love and acceptance over all other things.
Mama Bears, the fantastic new documentary from Daresha Kyi is a thorough and fierce examination into the complicated issues one is faced with as a Christian who either is or knows someone in the LGBTQ+ community. What I love about this film is that it shows that Christianity and queerness are not mutually exclusive. The love of Christ extends to all people (hence, “y’all means all”), despite what many “Christians” may preach.
The film follows many families, particularly moms, struggling with their children coming out as LGBTQ+ in the church. The film dives headfirst into the issues. If you are a devout Christian brought up to believe being gay sends you to hell (as so many who grow up in the church are taught), as a mother, how could you stand by and watch your child embrace this “sin” that will lead them away from eternal life?
These are women who were entrenched in the conservative ideology that being queer is a sin and to save these individuals we must change them. We hear the radical conversion stories of these mothers as they realized that perpetuating these horrific beliefs about sexuality are the real causes of death amongst LGBTQ+ children, and to save their children, they must spread love rather than hate. It began with an anonymous Facebook group called “Mama Bears,” first a support group for the mothers, and then an activist group that began touring the country to spread their motherly love to any child in the LGBTQ+ community in need.
The story that touched me the most was that of Kimberly and Esther “Kai” Shippley. Kai knew from birth that she was girl — no matter what other people think. Her mother Kimberly researched trans youth, and after implementing conversion therapy tactics, realized the harm this was causing Kai. She saw the light and allowed Kai to live as her true self and now fights, like a mama bear, for Kai’s basic right to use the girl’s bathroom at her school.
The film tackles a heavy topic, but Kai (and the other children in the film) give us moments of the pure joy that accompanies embracing who you are like when she finally gets to use the girl’s bathroom at school or when she recounts moments where she stood up to kids who bully and misgender her.
Mama Bears may be the most beautiful and life-changing documentary…ever. If you are struggling to reconcile your faith with your sexuality or with the harmful teachings of your church, this is the film for you. It is never judgmental or hateful, but makes it abundantly clear which side is the side of the radical love of Christ and which is the side spreading hate, shame, and the dissolution of the family.
Click here to read more SXSW review on my Letterboxd or here to read my Top 10 Narrative films at SXSW. Can’t wait for SXSW 2023!
