Last year when President Ahmadinejad claimed Iran didn’t have “this phenomenon” of gays, many pointed out that because homosexuality is a capital crime in Iran, they generally hide. Nobody made mention that sex changes are legal, assuming that they are different topics. Be Like Others examines the interconnectedness of the two alternative lifestyles, and accomplishes it by only putting the lens on transsexuals. Several of the male-to-female subjects seem to have already conflated gender and sexuality, undergoing surgery for personal acceptance. The film does a tremendous job of profiling the complicated issues regarding human sexuality, law, religion and family, but there is one glaring void: it doesn’t frame the perspective of female-to-male transsexuals. OM

 

 

At just four years-old, Gao Jun is an orphan, and he’s HIV positive; he inherited the disease from his now-deceased mother and father, after they—like many others in the region—sold units of their blood plasma in exchange for 53 yuan, and were infected with HIV as a result. Fearing that they might catch the deadly virus just through casual contact with Gao Jun, the uneducated villagers refuse to come near the child. His only remaining relatives are thus torn between taking him in—and being ostracized as a result—or leaving him on his own, possibly to die. While it tackles some serious subject matter, this documentary is enlightening, sincere and genuinely touching, though just a bit too preachy near the end. BS

 

 

 

Through the stories of four women, director Tracey Deer examines the racism that surrounds her community on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake. In layman’s terms, she explains how the arbitrariness of the Indian Act has influenced an equally arbitrary process of reserve membership granted by a Council of Elders. Such rules have caused division between Aboriginals and a clouded sense of identity for those who aren’t considered “100 per cent native.” It makes one wonder if culture, regardless of bloodline or physical appearances, means anything at all. KD

 

 

 

Beauty pageants rival soccer games for popularity in Columbia, which might explain why one of their female prisons decided to hold one. Following the preparations and competitions of four contestants, La Corona (The Crown), is a refreshingly humanistic look at both prisoners and beauty pageant contestants. The film does an admirable job both of exploring the conditions that lead these women to lives of crime, and the almost petty issues that, in their trivial importance, elevate the women and their cellmates out of prison life while they compete for the crown. The best part, though, is how directors Isabel Vega and Amanda Micheli draw connections between the drive for the crown and the longing for redemption all these troubled women have. DB 

 

 

 

If you had dinner with Pakistan’s then-president Pervez Musharraf, would you really break the ice with, “What is your vision for democracy in Pakistan?” Sabiha Sumar did. She’s a fearless documentary journalist who loves to aggravate conservative chauvinists with demands for gender equality. She’s a lot tamer when Musharraf and his mother come over for dinner (and then agrees to meet with her twice more between 2005 and 2007), but she’s honest and sincere in her concerns for her nation. The dinner is brilliantly edited to weave in and out of interviews with poor, rich, fundamentalist and secular Pakistanis—all unsure about this thing called “democracy.” OM

 

 

 

For the past 15 years, Dr Henry Marsh has traveled to Kiev, Ukraine, to perform difficult brain surgeries under ridiculously impoverished situations, and The English Surgeon follows one such trip, giving a fascinating look at the country’s woefully inadequate medical system and his attempts to give the poor and sick some affordable hope. Watching Marsh hunt for powertools to perform surgery with at a flea-market underscores the point on Ukraine’s medical system with tragic authority, and even the most iron-stomached may squirm through the climax: the real surgical removal of a brain tumour where the patient must remain conscious for the entire operation. PB

 

 

 

By simply turning the camera on and shooting, Iranian and German directors Ayat Najafi and David Assmann capture the inevitable culture clash of a German women’s soccer team vs an Iranian women’s soccer team, set to play in Asia’s largest soccer stadium. There’s plenty of natural conflict that goes far beyond who will be the victor. There are cultural misconceptions on both sides, wardrobe malfunctions, concerns of war and custom-related obstacles. One fault of the filmmaking duo, however, is not documenting the emotional importance of this game to these young women. OM

 

 

 

In a sharp and courageous effort to address the current state of equal rights for same-sex couples in the US, Cynthia Wade pares down to essential facts to effectively make an argument. New Jersey police officer Laurel Hester, diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, is refused to leave her pension to her domestic partner due to the ruling by the county Freeholders. Freeheld portrays the exceptional and overwhelming support of the Ocean County community to persuade five men to grant the couple their wish, concisely moving between the lively public debates to Laurel’s private life before her passing. Obviously, the Academy Award winning piece is a tear-jerker, but also reminds the viewer that such tears are shed in their ability to inspire a significant righteous change. Not a dry eye in the house. JB

 

 

 

A simple white background is the setting for this animated short featuring human figures inspired by African rock paintings and marked with impressive subtlety and detail in the shading. The story turns around a mother and her son, combining themes of love, family, death, reincarnation, time and survival into a brief, moving portrait. The film’s heart is wrenching at first and soothing later as mother and son are separated and then reunited in another life, with a soundtrack played on the hungu, a stringed African instrument. EM 

 

 

 

Against the backdrop of the approaching Iraqi election of 2005, we follow one man named Dr Riyadh, who is strongly opposed to the American occupation. Due to his profession, he is able to see firsthand how the constant violence and chaos has weakened the health of his patients, both physically and mentally. Determined to bring about change and democracy in Iraq, he decides to become a running candidate of the Iraqi Islamic Party against his family’s wishes. Dr Riyadh is instantly likable and his convictions and love for his country are truly inspiring. The moments of minor squabbles with his family provide rare glimpses of the Iraqi people that are both amusing and endearing, moments met with immense sadness when the reality of their country’s situation comes back into play. KD

 

 

 

In 1703, Mobile, Alabama was the site of the first Mardi Gras in America. Two centuries later, celebrations in Mobile remain highly segregated along racial lines, with the all-white Mobile Carnival Association and the all-black Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association organizing separate events. Through weeks following the dual preparations and a dizzying stretch of celebrations, director Margaret Brown takes us inside a Byzantine world of tradition, ritualized balls and mystic societies, creating a fascinating, character-driven exploration of race, class, power and history in the US Deep South. To her credit, Brown avoids editorializing, allowing the complexities to unfold through the voices of generations of participants on both sides of the divide. DB

 

 

 

Taking a look at arguably the US Army’s most important frontline, Edet Belzburg’s brilliant, voyeuristic documentary follows Sgt Clay Usie, one of the Army’s top recruiters, as he attempts to enlist teens in his Louisiana hometown. Usie is part salesman and part cult leader, slick answers at the ready when concerned parents come calling, but stressing brotherhood, family and duty to his raw recruits. Perhaps the best part of the doc, though, is Belzberg’s treatment of the teens who sign up: she doesn’t shy away from the fact that, for some of them, the Army really is giving them self-esteem, acceptance and an opportunity they otherwise wouldn’t have. That these young men and women need to go into a war zone to do that says more about American society than any of her subjects could. DB

 

 

 

Filmed over the course of four years in Guatemala, Recycled Life reveals a fascinating glimpse into the hardships endured by hundreds of families residing in and around Central America’s largest landfill. Striking footage and live shots portray a community whose survival depends on the salvage of recyclable materials from the site. The members of this community—some barely ten years old—are likable, hard-working folk, neglected by society and their government; one woman refers to the scenario as a reflection of Guatemala's inaction towards its poor, and their subsequent endurance. The vividness of Recycled Life speaks to this endurance amidst the region's continuous state of development. MG

 

 

 

A 1972 plane crash in the Andes and the following survival of 16 members of a Uruguayan rugby team over 72 days is as gripping, if not even moreso, than the well-known book Alive by Piers Paul Read and its film adaptation. The actual survivors of the incident share their experience with every detail told from their mouths, from the initial panic once the plane hit the ground to eventually having to eat human flesh as the last remaining source of food (which also included cologne and Elizabeth Arden cosmetics, which were also eaten). The dramatizations between the interviews are a little, well, dramatic, but as the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-nominated film clocks in at over two hours, it adds a valid intensity to the storytelling. JB

 

 

 

The Suicide Tourist is, somewhat ironically, quite a life-affirming film. Following the work of Dignitas, a Swiss company that offers assisted suicide to the suffering, director John Zaritsky examines the politics of the euthanasia but zeroes in on the human stories, following two Dignitas clients navigating the red tape to assisted suicide. The story of Craig Ewert is particularly compelling, told with grace and affecting sincerity as we bear witness to the whole process, and the last few days of his lift: being interviewed to determine eligibility, finding a doctor willing to write the lethal prescription, the indescribable final moments and even the aftermath of the process with family and friends. It’s a melancholic documentary, but one that serves to remind us of the goodness of life, even as a few choose to make their final exits. PB

 

 

 

It’s easy to feel exhausted after watching the gruelling journey that two Canadians named Soorgul and Amir make back to their homeland of Afghanistan, which they were driven out of 16 years prior during the Soviet occupation. Afghanistan is portrayed in both a harsh and beautiful light as constant news reports of violent attacks are heard amidst the beautiful landscapes that have not yet been completely ruined. While Soorgul and Amir are both very driven in reuniting with their families, the film often catches them at moments of vulnerability. The Sweetest Embrace is not only a journey to be once again wrapped in the arms of one’s mother but to be also wrapped in the arms of an entire community. KD

 

 

 

To See if I’m Smiling collects the grim reflections of six women conscripted into the army of Israel, the only country in the world to have a mandatory two-year army service for women. Interwoven with both candid interviews and war footage, they speak frankly on corruption within the army, and the violence they experienced from the outside as soldiers. Naturally, gender issues arise during their service time, but the crux of To See if I’m Smiling is how the corruption and horrors that these women witnessed—or took part in themselves—continue to burden their psyches.  Unsettling. PB

 

 

 

As a member of Medicins Sans Frontiers, Dr James Orbinski was present in Rwanda during the humanitarian crises of the early 1990s. He was on the frontlines during the Rwandan genocide and also had to deal with continuing food shortages in the country as he attempted to treat disease and deal with the horrific effects of violence. Triage follows Orbinski as he returns to Rwanda for the first time in 15 years, speaking with former colleagues, patients and others that he interacted with during his time there, as well as connecting with government officials and medical students and passing along lessons he has learned throughout his life. The film, and Orbinski himself, tries to deal with the choices that were made at the time—choices that led to life for some and death for others. Orbinski also tries to define humanitarian work in the face of government pressure to politicize the definition and take it out of the realm of political neutrality. A hard film to watch at times, it is another encouraging sign that the world is willing to discuss what happened in Rwanda, even if that discussion comes almost two decades too late. BB V