A scene from 'Spare my Bones, Coyote!' courtesy of Hot Docs
This year, Hot Docs features a selection of documentaries about people trying to create a better life for themselves and their loved ones.
Documentaries are a reflection of the world in which we live, depicting real-life stories on the big screen. Subjects can evoke a range of emotions from sadness to joy, sparking rage or inspiration, confirming or challenging people’s views. The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary showcase, annually presenting films from around the world. Below is a selection of films included in this year’s festival program.
9-Month Contract
Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany, North American premiere, Persister programme
The film follows Zhana and her teenaged daughter, Elene. Determined to provide a better life for her child, 29-year-old Zhana is in the midst of her third surrogate pregnancy, while still working night shifts at a local supermarket. In spite of complications with the agency and clients, Zhana puts her health at risk with another surrogate pregnancy, highlighting the dangers of Georgia’s unregulated surrogate industry.
Director Ketevan Vashagashvili first captured Zhana’s story a decade earlier when she was living on the streets, hoping a short film would help the young mother get on her feet. While the attention did have a positive effect, Zhana is still struggling and desperate to ensure Elene never feels that level of poverty again. Vashagashvili is provided intimate access to their home, capturing a heartwarming mother-daughter bond, while also documenting the late stages of Zhana’s pregnancies, including the births that arouse confused feelings. Notably, as Elene grows older and better understands their situation, she rejects her mother’s notions that she’s the only one that can escape and encourages her mother to refocus her efforts on creating her own sustainable future.
An American Pastoral
France, North American premiere, Tipping Point programme
In Elizabethtown, PA, the vacancy of five seats on the local school board in 2023 shines a glaring spotlight on the small town’s divided politics as Christian nationalist candidates campaign to fill the moderate Republicans’ spots. They canvass the neighbourhood and use church gatherings to outline their plans to remove “offensive” literature from school libraries, targeting 2SLGBTQ+ content to protect their children, who’s voices are conspicuously missing from these debates.
Director Auberi Edler’s observational documentary depicts the culture war being waged in libraries and school districts across America with stark clarity and unrestrained liberal bias. Many residents express fear as far-right activism marches through their community, veiling white supremacist ideology in the guise of supporting religious values. Residents proclaim their rights to bear arms against a “tyrannical government,” assert that there are only two genders and demand any literature of which they disapprove not be available to any school-aged child in the district. The democratic candidates run in spite of the perceived futility, connecting with the like-minded minority and hoping minimal harm is inflicted on the young and vulnerable.
Antidote
UK, Canadian premiere, Special presentations programme
The assassination of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, made international headlines. But investigative journalist and co-founder of Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, was uncovering corruption in the Kremlin long before then. The film documents heroic efforts to help a scientist-turned-whistleblower that worked on the development of covert poisons escape the country and the continued efforts to reunite him with his family. At the same time, Christo becomes a wanted man for his investigations, exiling him from his Austrian home and potentially endangering his remaining loved ones.
Director James Jones builds a real-life espionage thriller with the highest stakes as the subjects risk their lives to fight against authoritarianism in Russia. Interviews and phone conversations with Christo’s family illustrate that he does his job with their support, though it does waver somewhat as they fretfully wait for the potential repercussions of his latest expose on government-ordered assassinations. Interviews with Christo’s colleagues try to provide more perspective to the story, validating that some of the accusations seem outlandish until they go through the receipts and find everything is corroborated by hard evidence. However, the narrative repeatedly returns to the human element, bringing focus back to Christo and the anxiety he’s managing about his and his family’s safety.
Betrayal
Canada, world premiere, World Showcase programme
Doing what’s right is not always easy, but it can be even more difficult when the right thing means pointing to a family member’s criminal wrongdoings. Cindor Reeves was the brother-in-law of Liberia’s president, who in part due to his testimony, was also the first former president to be convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity since World War II. Cindor recounts meeting the young rebel leader and supporting his ideas, and how his approach changed once he took power. The gravity of Cindor’s account is underlined by the film’s opening text that states he’s creating this recording in case he’s murdered.
Director Lena Macdonald combines footage of Cindor’s testimony with archival images and scenes from the criminal court hearing. Cindor seems like a very easy-going man, trying to do what’s right. But he’s also haunted by the fact that his decision forever altered his life, forcing him to flee his home and seek sanctuary in Canada. There’s a very telling moment at the end of the film when he’s asked if he’d do it again, knowing all it entails. However, Macdonald also attempts to comment on the bigger picture via an expert interview that questions the international court’s ability or willingness to pursue other types of war criminals in the current climate.
I Died
Mexico, Canadian premiere, Persister programme
In a small village in Chiapas, Mexico, three women work their land, cultivating coffee and corn to support their families. But women landowners are not commonplace and they had to fight to get what acres they have. These women’s strength has been repeatedly tested, surviving gender-based violence and other adversities, but veterans of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) they learned their lives have value and they are entitled to the same rights as men. Now, having broken past patriarchal traditions, they impress these values on their children who they’ve in turn empowered to follow any path of their choosing.
These are hardworking Tsotsil women who didn’t want to rely on a husband for their survival, so they demanded what they deserved. Rather than creating a film of talking heads, director Ana Ts’uyeb plays audio interviews over what would typically be B-roll. The women relate their histories, describe their struggles and talk about their families, while audiences watch them cook, harvest, weave and do any of the other chores necessary to maintain their homes, the crops and their livelihood. These women’s drive and positivity is inspiring, and everyone around them appears to recognize their spirit.
Mama Goals
Sweden, international premiere, Persister programme
Charlotta Björck was a born entertainer, amusing friends, loved ones and cameras from a young age. But as a young woman, she fell in love, had kids and built a steady career in healthcare. However, she never lost her sense of humour or desire to entertain, so Charlotta gradually returns to producing original material that she shares online and performs at local venues. Then, she makes the ultimate leap of faith, quitting her job to pursue comedy full time.
Director Ellen Fiske was granted a backstage pass to Charlotta’s life. They piece together her early ambitions through archival footage and anecdotes, then follow Charlotta’s journey to pitching a sketch comedy show in which she plays various characters and original songs. Getting Charlotta’s humour is not integral to the film as it sets out to capture the difficulties of embarking on something very demanding and risky, while also juggling young children and a marriage in transition. The film is primarily from Charlotta’s perspective, providing a singular, career-driven narrative that avoids making her appear guilty for pursuing her dreams, while also depicting the hardship of sacrificing time with her family.
Shamed
Canada, world premiere, Canadian Spectrum Competition programme
The documentary follows an Ontario-based, self-proclaimed pedophile hunter and founder of the YouTube channel, “Creeper Hunter TV,” Jason Nassr. His method involved posing as a woman on adult dating websites, then pretending to reveal he was an underage girl and filming gotcha videos of anyone who tried to meet the nonexistent teen. Over five years, Nassr accused more than 100 men of being potential predators, exposing them to the court of public opinion and subsequently leading to at least five of these men taking their own life.
Director Matt Gallagher admits to not agreeing with Nassr’s approach, yet still manages to produce a film that gives equal weight to Nassr and the bereaved loved ones of his targets. There’s no need for Gallagher to influence audience opinions as Nassr expresses no empathy and is repeatedly undone by his own callousness, making his vigilantism appear more vindictive than his proclaimed noble effort to protect the community. In a world in which online hate frequently evolves into real world violence, the morality of Nassr’s logic is deftly debated on screen while its legality was decided in court.
Spare my Bones, Coyote!
Canada, world premiere, World Showcase programme
Immigration is a hot topic in North America at the moment, but this is a story that doesn’t involve politics. Every year, countless migrants die illegally attempting the border-crossing between Mexico and United States. For more than 10 years, Ely and his wife, Marisela, have led a voluntary group on missions to find the bodies of those who perished to return them to their families. It’s a taxing job, both as they receive messages from desperate loved ones asking for their help 24/7 and as they spend hours combing the scorching desert in hopes of providing peace to a grieving family.
This couple’s dedication to helping strangers find their missing relatives is moving, particularly as Ely’s motivation comes from his personal experience of recovering his brother’s and cousin’s bodies from the desert. The film chronicles some of the numerous calls Ely takes requesting assistance for people who became lost or couldn’t keep up with their groups. They also hold impromptu informational sessions, aiming to educate migrants preparing for their crossings about the risks and physical demands of the journey, as well as ways to ensure they can be identified if they don’t make it. Director Jonah Malak follows in the couple’s footsteps and does not try to debate the ethics, politics or legality of these passages, but instead focuses on the grim yet compassionate task of trying to provide some form of closure to these tragic stories.
Unwelcomed
Chile, world premiere, International Spectrum Competition programme
Following economic collapse, nearly eight million Venezuelans fled their country, amounting to the largest migration crisis in South America. Many chose to travel thousands of miles south to Chile, frequently travelling by foot. However, their new Chilean neighbours are not eager to share their space, resulting in some intense reactions and violent anti-immigrant protests that threatened families with children.
Filmmakers Amilcar Infante and Sebastian Gonzalez Mendez spend most of their time with the migrants, who describe their difficult journeys and desires to integrate with their new country so they can build a home and provide for their families. Some are making efforts to appease their hostile neighbours, while others are simply trying to make the best of what they have. There are fewer interviews with or footage of Chileans, primarily depicting protests and describing negative impressions or interactions with the migrants. Predominantly, it feels as if filmmakers compensated for a lack of footage with extensive aerial and landscape views of the country, which do not contribute to the narrative.
The 32nd edition of the Hot Docs festival runs from April 24 to May 4 in Toronto.
