Best Docs of 2008

Movie: Ballast

Here’s a list of Ebert’s best films of 2008, many of which you’ve probably not even heard of. He clarifies the reason at the end of the article:

Looking back over the list, I think most moviegoers will have heard of only about 11, because distribution has reached such a dismal state. I wrote to a reader about “Shotgun Stories,” “I don’t know if it will play in your town.” She wrote back, “How about my state?” This is a time when home video, Netflix and the good movie channels come to the rescue. My theory that you should see a movie on a big screen is sound, but utopian.

The movie he references, Shotgun Stories, has it’s own meta-story of distribution redemption:

This film has literally been saved by the festival circuit. After being rejected by major distributors, it found a home in smaller festivals, where word of mouth propelled it into its current wider release. It has qualities that may not come out in a trailer or in an ad but sink in when you have the experience of seeing it.

Sigh. I keep twiddling my thumbs wondering how to creatively get my work in front of the right eyes. My anticipations keep pointing to the living room as a hopeful video savior: Start by pushing the cable box aside, and jacking an ethernet port in. Personally, I’m going to start this list by watching Ballast. Something tells me the characters are really raw. And the visual style is right up my alley, based on the trailer (which seems honest).