True/False 2022: The Rankings and the Rundown

I haven't been to True/False since 2019. Where did the time go? (Oh, right, the pandemic.) It was great to be back. Below, here's a quick ranking of every film I saw at the festival, including a few I checked out in advance. (Links lead to my Sundance reviews.)

16. Eventually 
15. Days and Nights of Demetra K.
14. We Met in Virtual Reality
13. Brotherhood
12. Fire of Love
11. The Territory
10. Sirens
9. After Sherman
8. Children of the Mist
7. GES-2
6. I Didn’t See You There
5. Factory to the Workers
4. Riotsville, USA
3. 2nd Chance
2. Dos Estaciones
1. Where Are We Headed?

As opposed to my usual (epic) rundown, I split duties with fellow critic Dom Sinacola for this Paste recap. True/False is still recovering from Covid, as all festivals are, but even at three-fourths strength, it was a fine time. 

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Batman,' 'After Yang,' 'Fresh'

 

Direct from True/False, I recorded this week's episode, where we both discussed the latest Batman and After Yang. Then, I asked Will some questions about Fresh. A good time was had by all. Check it out down below.

‘Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets’ Review

Is it a documentary? Is it fiction? For MEL, I wrote about the latest film from directors Bill and Turner Ross.

Visions du Reel 2020: ‘A Machine to Live In’ Review

What makes up a city? The people? The architecture? Or is there something else that's more intangible? The provocative documentary A Machine to Live In takes a unique look at Brasilia. Does it work? My review is up at Screen International.

My Interview With Mads Brugger, Director and Star of 'Cold Case Hammarskjold'

In 1961, a plane carrying U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld crashed, killing him and 15 others. "Pilot error" was the official cause, but some speculated that he'd been murdered. Decades later, filmmaker Mads Brügger (The Ambassador) decided he'd try to get to the bottom of the conspiracy theories. What he discovered was crazy. For MEL, I interviewed Brügger to talk about Cold Case Hammarskjöld. Hope you enjoy.

True/False 2019: The Rankings and the Rundown

My seventh True/False was, by critical consensus, not one of the festival's strongest. But there were still some gems. Here's a quick ranking of everything I saw...

15. Mr. Soul!
14. Home, Sweet Home
13. Mike Wallace Is Here 
12. Untitled Amazing Johnathan Documentary
11. One Child Nation
10. Caballerango
9. Let It Burn
8. Apollo 11 
7. Cold Case Hammarskjöld
6. No Data Plan
5. Midnight Traveler
4. American Factory
3. Amazing Grace
2. Finding Frances
1. The Hottest August

I decided to include Finding Frances, the final episode of Nathan for You's fourth season, for reasons I get into in my annual True/False recap over at Paste. And I hope a smart distributor picks up The Hottest August, which is the strong new film from The Prison in Twelve Landscapes director Brett Story.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviewing 'Leaving Neverland,' 'Climax' and 'Greta'

Our latest episode was recorded while I was at True/False. We talk about that a little, but we focus on reviews of three new movies. First up is the HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which I saw back at Sundance. Then, we dig into Gaspar Noe's Climax. And lastly, we lament Greta. Hear the whole thing below.

'Makala' Review

I think Makala is one of the best documentaries of the year. It opens Friday in New York and will hopefully start moving around the country from there. I make the case for the film over at Paste.

True/False 2018: The Rankings and the Rundown

A little later than normal, but Paste published my annual rundown of True/False, which remains one of my favorite events on the movie calendar. You can read all 6,200 words right here. In addition, here's my ranking of everything I saw at the festival...

18. Our New President
17. Playing Men
16. Caniba
15. American Animals 
14. Three Identical Strangers
13. The Rider
12. Kinshasa Makambo  
11. Voices of the Sea
10. MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.
9. The Family
8. Of Fathers and Sons
7. Hale County This Morning, This Evening  
6. Shirkers
5. Black Mother 
4. Bisbee '17
3. Won't You Be My Neighbor?
2. The Task
1. Makala

An embarrassment of riches topped by three utterly different documentaries. Can't wait for the 2019 edition. And can't wait to see Makala again, which Kino Lorber will be releasing at some point this year.

True/False 2017: The Rankings and the Rundown

As per norm, I had a great time in Columbia, Missouri, and as per norm, I wrote a massive tome for Paste that chronicled just about everything I saw at True/False. That rundown, you can read here. If you're more interested in a conventional ranked list, here you go. Links lead to individual reviews...

23. Long Strange Trip
22. Dina
21. Distant Constellation (work-in-progress)
20. The War Show
19. Step
18. Brimstone & Glory
17. Whose Streets?
16. Safari
15. Railway Sleepers
14. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
13. Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?
12. Manifesto
11. Communion
10. Quest
9. Strong Island
8. Miss Kiet's Children
7. The Force
6. Stranger in Paradise
5. The Graduation
4. Lindy Lou, Juror Number 2
3. Casting JonBenet
2. Rat Film
1. I Am Not Your Negro

I am very curious to check out Lindy Lou and Rat Film again. The latter has, more or less, been a big hit on the festival circuit. As for Lindy Lou, I know many who were underwhelmed by it at True/False, where it had its premiere. I think it's really remarkable. But, like I said, you can read all about those movies (and many more) over in my Paste piece.

True/False 2017: 'Dina' Review

Dina was a hit at Sundance, but I have to say: I'm not as blown away as many of my colleagues. I caught up with the documentary at True/False, and while I still recommend the film, about two autistic people in love, I have my reservations. You can read my review over at Screen International.

'The Killing of America': 35 Years Later

At this year's True/False, I checked out The Killing of America, a profoundly upsetting documentary about our country's obsession with violence. The movie debuted in 1981, but it felt like it could have been made yesterday. For The New Republic, I spoke with its director to reconstruct the making of this upsetting film and why it basically vanished without a trace afterward. In 2016, The Killing of America is having something of a comeback. Here's my essay on the film and its lasting impact.

My Interview With Brett Story, Director of 'The Prison in Twelve Landscapes'

The biggest discovery at this year's True/False Film Festival was The Prison in Twelve Landscapes, director Brett Story's incisive, poetic look at how prisons are all around us -- even though Americans don't see them. The documentary is made up of 12 vignettes, all of them connected to mass incarceration in ways we don't immediately realize. It's a subtle but powerful film.

For MEL, I spoke with Story to talk about her background in geography, the challenges of making a documentary that doesn't fall into any one category, and why she's an activist who doesn't like activist films. It was a great talk -- you can read it right here.

True/False 2016: The Wrap-Up

This year for True/False, I decided to focus less on individual reviews and instead immerse myself in as many films as I could. (The fewer reviews you write at the festival, the more time you have to see stuff.) And I tried my best to cover the proverbial waterfront, including sampling one of the Neither/Nor selections. (I, however, didn't make it to any of the secret screenings.)

The below ranking does not include Concerned Student 1950 for two reasons: It's a short, and I missed the first five minutes. But it's incredibly inspiring, and I recommend checking it out online. Now, on to the list...

19. Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You 
18. Life, Animated
17. Sonita
16. Behemoth 
15. Michael Shannon Michael Shannon John 
14. Helmut Berger, Actor
13. Weiner
12. The Pearl
11. Starless Dreams
10. Jim: The James Foley Story
9. Kate Plays Christine
8. Tickled 
7. Cameraperson
6. All These Sleepless Nights
5. The Killing of America
4. Thy Father's Chair
3. Peter and the Farm
2. The Prison in Twelve Landscapes
1. The Other Side

For Paste, I wrote a gargantuan overview of the year's festival, taking a close look at how many of the films focused on the question of watching and being watched. This yearly piece is one of my favorites, and so I hope you enjoy.

True/False 2016: Chatting With 'The Cinephiliacs'

It was a treat to hang out with Peter Labuza and talk True/False on The Cinephiliacs. I was on with Sam Adams and Scott Tobias to recap the festival and our favorite films. (I should say, though, that at the time of the taping, I hadn't yet seen the documentary that I ended up thinking was the best of the fest.) You can hear the whole thing here.

True/False 2016: 'Weiner' Review

Film festivals are funny things: One day, you hear glowing things about a documentary, the next day you encounter a wave of dismissive opinions. This happened at Sundance with Weiner, about disgraced politician Anthony Weiner. I didn't see it there, but people warned me off it initially. Then, I started hearing from folks who loved it. I finally caught up with the movie at True/False; my take is up at Screen International.

True/False 2016: 'Life, Animated' Review

Life, Animated was my mother's favorite film at this year's True/False. I suspect it may be a strong Oscar contender. This look at the Suskind family, particularly son Owen, who has dealt with autism since he was a boy, is potently emotional, but it's also a feel-good tale. I can imagine a lot of people responding the way my mom did. My review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: True/False and 'Goodnight Mommy'

In the latest installment of the Grierson & Leitch podcast, I report from the True/False Film Festival, and Will and I discuss Knight of Cups, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, London Has Fallen and our reader request Goodnight Mommy. You can hear it all here.

My Interview With Joshua Oppenheimer

I caught The Look of Silence, the follow-up film from Joshua Oppenheimer, who previously had made The Act of Killing, at True/False. It's stayed with me ever since. For Rolling Stone, I spoke with Oppenheimer about both films and how he's had to let that part of his life go and move on. Hope you enjoy.

True/False 2015: The Wrap-Up

Another True/False, my third, has come and gone. So, let's recap what I wrote about the festival and take a look at my final rankings.

As far as the below list goes, please note I didn't include The Act of Killing, which I've only seen in its theatrical cut. (The festival screened Joshua Oppenheimer's preferred director's cut.) I also decided to leave off Arena of Life, four shorts from Polish filmmaker Bogdan Dziworski, which were, mostly, exceptional. So, here we go, with links leading to individual pages/reviews....

15. What Happened, Miss Simone?
14. Finders Keepers
13. How to Change the World
12. The Chinese Mayor
11. Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait
10. The Visit
9. Tales of the Grim Sleeper
8. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
7. Best of Enemies
6. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
5. Bitter Lake
4. Heaven Knows What
3. Western
2. Cartel Land
1. The Look of Silence

I struggled a bit deciding where to place each of the movies in my top four. All I know is they were the four finest films I saw at the festival. Second viewings will help sort out their placement.

In addition, I wrote a long overview of this year's festival. Rather than doing a standard recap, I explored the notion of how to change the world -- an idea that came to me after watching, you guessed it, How to Change the World. I wondered if a film, or a group of activists, or even a film festival can legitimately make a difference in the world. I hope you enjoy what I came up with.

And, finally, my thanks to Kevin B. Lee for including me in his annual rundown of critics' favorites from True/False. Look how handsome and wise I am.