Academy Award Preview — Documentaries

The 90th Academy Awards are on Sunday, March 4. Between now and then, I'll be previewing the races, and giving my thoughts on the films nominated. Today, I take a look at documentaries.

Documentaries are some of the most fascinating and stories of the year. They can also be some of the most overlooked. Of the five documentaries nominated for Best Documentary Feature, I've seen four. And all four are available to stream right now. (As are two of the shorts, listed below.) So no excuses.

Best Documentary Feature:
* Faces Places
* Abacus, Small Enough to Jail
* Last Men in Aleppo
* Icarus
* Strong Island

About the films: I haven't seen "Faces Places," the French film that was on a number of critics' Top 10 lists. It's probably something of a front-runner, but is still playing only in a limited number of theaters around the nation. But the other four are all available to stream and readily available ("Abacus" on PBS or Amazon Prime, "Last Men in Aleppo," "Icarus," and "Strong Island" on Netflix). I have long been fascinated by the financial crisis, and have read a number of books and watched a number of movies on the subject. "Abacus" was originally a Frontline feature, directed by Steve James, about the only bank to face Federal Charges surrounding loan practices in the meltdown. Abacus is a small, family-owned bank that serves the Chinese community. And while there were some shady people and practices, the film goes to great lengths to demonstrate that it's quite possible that the bank was simply an easy target. I was engrossed  by the story and really drawn into the idea. "Icarus" is from Bryan Fogel. He started with a simple premise — that he wanted to do a doping regimen to prove that he could do it and get away with it. His helper was the head of the WADA lab in Russia, and what started as a simple assignment soon turned into something much bigger (as anyone who has followed the news is well aware). "Last Men in Aleppo" is a feature length film that chronicles a few of the White Helmets working to save lives amid near constant bombing in war-torn Syria. This was the same subject chronicled in one of the Documentary Short Subject nominees last year, and it's certainly heart-breaking and sad to see what's happened in that country. The film is a tribute to the men who risked their lives to try and save as many as they could. "Strong Island" touches on a lot of interesting subjects. Director and sometimes subject Yance Ford broke ground as the first transgender filmmaker nominated, and this is a deeply personal story. It's about his brother, who was murdered years earlier. His brother, a black man, was killed by a white man, but the incident never resulted in a criminal prosecution. Ford traces that story, the culture at the time, and his own family history, all while exploring his own journey.

Predicting a Winner: It's hard since I haven't seen "Faces Places," but I feel like that one was more of a standout with critics. For me, among the four I've seen, I was most drawn to "Icarus" and "Abacus." One was due to my interest in the subject, but I think "Icarus" was probably the strongest of the four I saw, and could well find itself a winner on March 4.

Best Documentary Short Subject:
* Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
* Heroin(e)
* Edith and Eddie
* Knife Skills
* Traffic Stop

About the Nominees: I've seen just two of these, "Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405," which is on YouTube, and "Heroin(e)," which is on Netflix. Among the others, "Edith and Eddie" is about the oldest inter-racial couple, "Knife Skills" is about a French restaurant staffed mostly by those seeking a second chance out of prison, and "Traffic Stop," which hits HBO on March 12, is about a traffic stop gone wrong.

Predicting a Winner: At this point, it feels a bit like a shot in the dark. I feel like "Traffic Stop," based on its subject matter and our cultural times, might have an edge. Among the two I saw, I enjoyed "Heroin(e)," which focuses on the drug war in a small West Virginia town. But I'm hoping a few of the others will be available to stream prior to the award ceremony.