3 More Docs

Two films rank among the best documentaries of 2012. One, not so much.

BROOKLYN CASTLE (A-minus) - Pure joy. This straightforward study of junior-high chess players at I.S. 318 in Brooklyn does nothing fancy but rather draws you into the world of these irresistible kids, all of them smart and charming. They are supported by dedicated teachers/coaches and selfless parents (most of them immigrants). The filmmakers shun the hysterics and heroics or a hackneyed build-up to a big showdown at the end. Instead, we get to know these adolescents rather intimately, whether at their busy school or their cramped homes. Their opponents are mostly faceless or nameless; their biggest foe is The System, which insists on cutting the school budget relentlessly. This film does nothing flashy; it is blessed with wonderful characters. My eyes welled up within the first 15 minutes, but it's no tearjerker. It gives you hope for the future, where maybe a few bright kids might squeak through without TVs and computers turning their brains to mush. Inspiring.


HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE (A-minus) -A paean to the men and women who refused to shut up and die anonymously during the early days of the AIDS crisis. The heavy lifting is done by fascinating archival footage from ACT-UP members. Director David France is masterful at pacing the action and juggling the characters, some of whom grow gaunt before our eyes, while others made it long enough to be saved by the drug cocktail that finally emerged in the mid-'90s. He often cuts to scientists and policy-makers trying to unravel a medical mystery. France cleverly holds off on revealing the fate of some of the key players until the very end, and it's a poignant stroke of genius. The heart and the soul of the film (and of the movement) is Bob Rafsky, who came out around age 40 and who, by sheer force of personality, forged a role for himself as the conscience of the nation. His final speech, on the night of the 1992 presidential election, is a stunning scene, eloquent but stinging oratory from a passionate radical. This is really Rafsky's story, and it's one you won't soon forget.


JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (C+) - This would have been an interesting half-hour PBS special. I've never been into shows about food and cooking, but the rest of the world apparently is, so maybe this one's my fault. This documentary about a Japanese sushi master, at it for more than 60 years, is dull and repetitive. Even the cinematography is flat and unimaginative. How many close-up shots can we stand of a piece of sushi being carefully massaged and gently placed on a shiny serving dish? I lost count. How many tours of fish markets do we need? Or lingering, slow-motion shots of a chef lovingly slicing into a tuna or massaging an octopus (or, Christ, cracking open an egg) accompanied by some somber sonata? They're creating art, I get it. Jiro himself is appealing to a point, but just how alluring is the story of a man who does the same thing, following the same routine, every day? There's a fine line between devoting your life to a craft and being a simpleton; between being a perfectionist and a bully. No one around him is interesting, especially his two sad-sack successor sons whom Jiro ignored during their childhood and then wouldn't allow to go to college. This just drones on and on. But what do I know; I watched this after savoring the Blue Ribbon Special at the local joint: a slice of pizza and a PBR for $4.25. I really don't need my food preparer to rise to the level of a conductor of a symphony. Here, the filmmaker fails to translate his own fascination to the viewer.