Doc Check

BEIJING TAXI (B+) - A thoroughly moody, contemplative study of China undergoing a massive cultural shift on the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics -- all filtered through the eyes of three cabdrivers. Miao Wang channels their charming grumpiness and frustrations with their jobs and society in general. The generation gap is acutely felt; all three cabbies -- two middle aged men and a struggling mom -- make frequent references to their age, including health challenges. Teenagers are viewed as a source of consternation, oblivious to the good fortune that capitalism is bringing them.

But the film is only partly about our three protagonists. The director lets the camera wander to city at large, in particular the extensive scrubbing of the city and the elaborate preparations for the Olympic Games on the world stage. The camera lingers on graffiti. Meanwhile, each driver will at some point give up his or her cab, at least for a while. Interestingly, we rarely see passengers. I'm guessing that's intentional, not merely to illustrate the drivers' struggles to make money but also to exaggerate the ghost-like eeriness of the city's history as well as the inherent loneliness of life in the big city.

The cabdrivers come off as humble working stiffs, but some of their commentary borders on the profound. "China is like this," one intones, observing a construction site.  "First they destroy, then they regret, then they repair and build again." Haunting.

INVISIBLE WAR (B+) - Kirby Dick crafts a harrowing examination of the sexual abuse and assaults against women in the military. Heroic women sit for the camera to relate the horrors of the traumas they endured in all branches of the military. This is often excruciating to watch. A layer of outrage develops as Dick and collaborator Amy Ziering recount the history of this problem going back decades to such scandals as Tailhook. To add insult to injury, one of them, Kori Cioca, struggles to navigate the bureaucracy of the Veterans Administration's health service. You can sense early on that her struggle to obtain full coverage for her injuries will not fully succeed.

The documentary, released last year, is particularly timely, considering President Obama, during a speech to military personnel around Memorial Day, acknowledged the black stain of sexual abuse, according to the New York Times.
Viewed on "Independent Lens" on PBS.

YOGA IS (C-minus) - The main thing wrong with this 64-minute documentary that tries to define yoga is the woman who conceived the idea, produced it, stars in it and narrates it. Besides the annoyance of Suzanne Bryant, this is actually a quite serviceable introduction to the practice and its most notable practitioners. Bryant frames this as a journey aimed at grieving over her mom, who succumbed to cancer. She likes to film herself walking in slow motion, looking off toward the horizon or up to the sky (how spiritual !).

The practitioners, each thoughtful and well-spoken, rescue the narrative. Bryant throws in two celebrities -- hip-hop producer Russell Simmons and model Christy Turlington (confession: she was the reason I even considered screening this) to add some pizzazz to the proceedings.