Documentary Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Documentary

A young woman with curly hair, looking out of a bus window with a pensive expression.
Review

Stockholm My Love

by Eve Watling

A rare misfire from director Mark Cousins, as he turns his camera to the streets of the Swedish capital.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Monochrome image of a woman with curly hair singing into a microphone on stage, wearing a sleeveless sequinned dress.
Review

Whitney: Can I Be Me

by Sophie Monks Kaufman

Nick Broomfield explores the context behind the untimely death of soul-pop sensation, Whitney Houston.

2
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Hiker stands on footbridge, mountain range in distance, rainbow across sky.
Review

A Good Day to Die, Hoka Hey

by Juliette Cottu

This decent documentary captures the thrills and dangers of front-line war photography.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Young person sitting on a red chair reading a book in a grassy outdoor setting.
Review

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt Pepper and Beyond

by Trevor Johnston

A key ingredient is missing from this tribute to the Fab Four’s seminal pop-rock LP: the music.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Three men arranging a large red bedsheet or fabric in a room.
Review

Machines

by David Jenkins

This haunting documentary takes us inside the industrial hellscape of a Gujarat textile factory.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A black and white image of an older woman wearing glasses and a necklace, holding up papers and documents in front of her face.
Review

Citizen Jane: Battle for the City

by Sophie Wyatt

This tale of rival New York town planners makes for an educational look at how cities are built.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A man shouting on stage in a dimly lit room, wearing a camouflage pattern shirt.
Review

Bunch of Kunst

by Eve Watling

This doc about bile-spilling anarcho-rockers Sleaford Mods is also an encapsulation of working class malaise.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Black-and-white image of a horseman riding through ruins of a large stone structure against a mountainous backdrop.
Review

Letters from Baghdad

by Eve Watling

The controversial life and times of explorer Gertrude Bell is the subject of this patchwork doc narrated by Tilda Swinton.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two women embracing and kissing outdoors by the water.
Review

All This Panic

by Gabriela Helfet

A group of high school students takes centre stage in Jenny Gage’s seen-it-all-before documentary.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A shirtless man wearing only shorts kneels on a concrete floor in an industrial setting.
Review

Dancer

by Lena Hanafy

This solid doc tells the the rags to riches back to rags back to riches tale of ballet-dancing bad boy, Sergei Polunin.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect