The Crash Reel
Dir: Lucy Walker
2013
*****
2013 was a strong year for feature length documentaries, The Crash Reel being among the very best. Lucy Walker has been very lucky to have got as much footage from before, during and after the event as she has but the way she has structured the editing is nothing short of perfection. This is an anti-cliched documentary, all the usual formulaic nonsense has been thrown out of the window and no unnecessary heart-string pulling is present. Only the facts are present and when the story is good enough then that is all you need. A great documentarian in the making. My favorite parts of this documentary deal with Kevin Pearce's family, most notably his brother David who has Down Syndrome. David is the heart of the family with the clearest voice who offers far more food for thought than anyone else in the film. I could see his version of the story becoming twisted and exploited by other documentary makers so it was a relief to see Walker handle it so well. Other tragedies that happen along the way are also treated with the utmost respect when added to the story. The overall message is clear and powerful, time is taken to tell the story properly and the final impact of the film is awesome and probably not what most people would expect or are used to. It's one of the strongest documentaries I've seen for quite a while.

Waste Land
Dir: Lucy Walker, Karen Harley, João Jardim
2010
****
It's easy to say that Vik Muniz benefited more so than others with the success of this film but I genuinely believe his heart was in the right place and he really did set out to tell a story and to help others out. In the end, the people who he did choose did work for what they achieved, although shame about the less charismatic pickers who weren't chosen. They do discuss the way they are changing peoples lives in the film and I think they came to the right conclusion. This is a great story about a subject the world wouldn't otherwise know about, Jardim Gramacho is now closed but in its place an educational centre has now been built all from the money raised from this film. It's win win all round and if you want feel good, this is the film for you!