Behind the Screens

Once relegated to public television, arthouse cinemas, and low-profile home video releases – not that we’re so cool we think there is anything wrong with any of those forums – the documentary film is experiencing a golden age. A decade ago, who would have thought that a non-fiction flick about the National Spelling Bee could rivet audiences nationwide? Or that a film about the mating habits of Emperor Penguins – See them swim! See them waddle! See them huddle en masse! – could become an international sensation, or that a movie attacking the current White House administration could become a blockbuster?

Not only have those concepts become reality, but in the last few years a slew of non-fiction movies – with topics ranging from bird migration and ballroom dancing to corporate shenanigans and our fast food habits – have captured the public’s hearts, minds and wallets. The truth is, the word “documentary” is lodged into popular consciousness more than ever before.

The latest non-fiction flick to hit cineplexes is Religulous, starring political satirist Bill Maher and directed by comedian Larry Charles (Borat). The film follows Maher around the world as he discusses the ever-controversial topic of religion. It’s the second to tackle a hot-button topic during an election year where faith is part of the political dialogue for Americans, following Ben Stein’s controversial Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed ($7.6 million B.O., $3.5 million budget), about teaching evolution vs. “intelligent design” in schools.

Back in 2004, the father of all election agitators, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, provoked plenty of ire to critical acclaim, and arguably started the rebirth of the documentary. It took on the Bush Administration’s war on terror and became a monster hit, grossing $120 million domestically (and $100 million more globally) and proving that documentaries could potently tap into current issues and lure moviegoers in droves. The film polarized audiences and inspired a rebuttal film, FahrenHYPE 9/11. Moore has been stirring the masses (and adding to the coffers – three of his movies are in the genre’s top five grossing) since 1989 with Roger & Me, The Big One (1998), the Oscar-winning Bowling For Columbine (2002), and the Oscar-nominated Sicko (2007).

Then take Super Size Me, another 2004 release. With a reported production budget of just $65,000, it pulled in $11 million domestically and another $18 million worldwide. Morgan Spurlock’s 30-day experiment in eating only McDonald’s for every meal not only probed our addiction to unhealthy fast food – and nearly killed the poor guy’s liver in the process – it also inspired the idea for Spurlock’s topical 30 Days cable TV show. Released that same year was the lower-profile yet multiple award-winning The Corporation, a 2½-hour epic that compared the titular subject to a destructive, sociopathic human being. That’s something we can all relate to these days.

Two years later, former Vice President Al Gore took his passion for environmentalism to the world by filming one of his lectures about global warming and interspersing it with interviews and animation in An Inconvenient Truth. Depressing yet uplifting, the film prompted a serious call to action to look for solutions, and furthered the awareness that environmentalism isn’t just hippie tree-hugger stuff. Plus we got to see Al Gore loosen up and act human. The 4th most successful doc ever, it raked in $24 million.

While Michael Moore certainly raised the profile of documentaries for modern audiences, other reasons can explain the genre’s recent explosion. For better or worse, scores of reality television hits have made people comfortable with watching “real-life” drama. While documentary films originally embraced a cinema verité approach – capturing real life on camera without interfering with it – current releases often involve a level of participation by those behind the lens. (You can track this back to the ‘80s, with The Thin Blue Line (1988), whose filmmakers coaxed a confession from the real killer and exonerated its protagonist, and Moore’s Roger & Me, which started the filmmaker down the road to corporate confrontation.) Cinephiles seeking refuge from the hordes of superheroes, orcs, and magical children invading movie theaters undoubtedly find documentaries welcome artistic sustenance. Further, DVD bonus materials usually include lengthy “making of” features that have helped make audiences more comfortable with non-fiction narrative.

As well, remember, not every noteworthy recent documentary is “issues” concentrated – sometimes they’re just plain entertaining. The Oscar-nominated March of the Penguins (2005) played for five months and grossed $77 million domestically. Not only was it beautiful to look at, but the subjects made for compelling viewing and inspired a wave of hugely successful animated penguin movies - most notably Happy Feet and Surf’s Up – that replaced the birds’ life-or-death struggle in favor of cuddly characters palling around. (No surprise there.) In The Aristocrats (2005), 100 different comedians including Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, and George Carlin all tell the same dirty joke in their own ways. It’s an old burlesque that, until then, had only been part of an inner circle of comics, and had filmmakers laughing to the bank with a $6 million take. (If that doesn’t impress, consider its budget was non-existent.)

Intellectual and artistic pursuits have also made for successful non-fiction fare. Spellbound (2003) followed the lives of eight young National Spelling Bee contestants seeking to win the top prize, while Wordplay (2006) examined the New York Times crossword puzzle concluding with the annual crossword convention in Stamford. (We had no idea there was one.)

Dancing has made for solid docu-fare, with the popular Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) arriving at the same time as TV’s Dancing With The Stars hit the airwaves, and reaching the genre’s No. 9 highest grossing spot. Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Stones doc Shine a Light marked his return to the genre, making some $5 million. And Shut Up & Sing chronicled the career of the Dixie Chicks in the wake of their anti-Bush comments back in 2003. While not a major moneymaker, it grabbed people’s attention and raised the question of how people view artists, particularly when it comes to freedom of speech and the concept that, hey, that’s kind of what they do. Express themselves.

Ultimately, people find real life just as fascinating as inspired flights of fantasy. They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and we’re seeing a bevy of documentary filmmakers prove it can be more compelling, too.

A life-long movie aficionado and NYU film school grad, Bryan Reesman (www.bryanreesman.com) revels in everything from big-budget epics to obscure horror and cult movie gems that no one has ever heard of. He has been published in the NY Times, Playboy, American Way, Premiere and MovieMaker.

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