Documentary Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Documentary

Two girls sitting at desks, drawing and writing in their notebooks. Colourful pens and pencils on the desks.
Review

Favoriten review – a moving exploration into the artistic potential of children

by Jordan Cronk

Over three years, Ruth Beck­er­mann doc­u­ments school life in a mul­ti­cul­tur­al work­ing class dis­trict of Vienna.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Large green creature jumping over a black limousine in a cityscape with people standing around.
Review

Grand Theft Hamlet review – all the world’s a stage

by Marina Ashioti

A pro­duc­tion of Shakespeare’s Ham­let in online world of Grand Theft Auto became these two actors’ answer to the pandemic’s enforced lockdowns.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A close-up view of a man with dishevelled dark hair making a wide, toothy grin.
Review

The Contestant review – discomforting and totally immersive

by Barney Nuttall

Clair Tit­ley’s doc tells the out­ra­geous sto­ry of a Japan­ese man who was left naked and trapped in a room for over a year, unwit­ting­ly becom­ing a real­i­ty TV star.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Woman in black top and white skirt stands amidst cluttered kitchen
Review

Witches review – leaves you wowed, wounded and educated

by David Jenkins

This vital and deeply per­son­al essay doc care­ful­ly dis­sects and dis­man­tles age-old rep­re­sen­ta­tions of witches.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Three individuals, a man and two women, seated in a car.
Review

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat review – a sprawling geopolitical tapestry

by Phil Concannon

Johan Gri­mon­prez’s doc­u­men­tary explores the cir­cum­stances that led two Amer­i­can jazz musi­cians to crash the UN Secu­ri­ty Coun­cil in protest against the mur­der of Con­golese leader Patrice Lumumba.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Silhouetted armoured military vehicle on rocky terrain, figures in foreground
Review

No Other Land review – a microcosm of Palestinian resistance

by Fatima Sheriff

Call­ing for a free Pales­tine, this vital doc chron­i­cles the resilience of the Masafer Yat­ta com­mu­ni­ty and the occupation’s atroc­i­ties in the West Bank.

5
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A serious-faced young man wearing a red neckerchief and a white suit, surrounded by a dimly lit room with shelves in the background.
Review

Dahomey review – a blueprint for anti-colonialist action

by David Jenkins

Mati Diop offers a cre­ative and mov­ing guide to dis­cussing anti-colo­nial­ist action in her very fine fol­low-up to 2019’s Atlantics.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Figures stand on snowy peak, dressed in grey and white clothing.
Review

A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things review – effusive ode to Willie Barns-Graham

by Marina Ashioti

Mark Cousins’ lyri­cal explo­ration into the life and work of a lit­tle-known mod­ernist painter from Scotland.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Group of people wearing colourful cowboy hats, shirts, and dresses in a celebratory scene.
Review

Milisuthando review – an intimate, nuanced cine-essay

by Marina Ashioti

This doc­u­men­tary art­ful­ly explores famil­ial love, race and belong­ing through the com­plex frame­work of South African history.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A person in traditional dress herding cattle along a dirt path through a lush, green landscape with trees.
Review

The Battle For Laikipia review – captures a violent story as it happens

by David Jenkins

A con­flict between indige­nous com­mu­ni­ties and white set­tlers in a region rav­aged by his­tor­i­cal griev­ances and cli­mate change is the sub­ject of this pow­er­ful doc.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect