The Dellies - 2012 Best Documentary Feature

I'll be honest right off the bat. This is the category I am probably least qualified to present an award, not that I'm actually qualified to give any, but you get my drift. For much of my life I only watched one or two docs per year and kept telling myself I should watch more. Recently, I have. However, that still only amounts to a handful each of the last few years (not quite that many this year). Sadly, my handful doesn't fully match the Academy's nominees. Still, I'll give it a go. Click on the titles of my nominees to read my full reviews.

2012 Best Documentary - Feature

The Real Nominees: 5 Broken Cameras (Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi), The Gatekeepers (Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarski, and Estelle Fialon), How to Survive a Plague (David France and Howard Gertler), The Invisible War (Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering), Searching for Sugar Man (Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn)

My Nominees:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Directed by Alison Klayman

With such dedication to both his ideals and working toward them combined with his popularity, it can be argued that Ai Weiwei is the most important artist in the world. Never Sorry ably conveys this point.

How to Survive a Plague

Directed by David France and Howard Gertler

Its story is very well told. It is also a reminder that even though AIDS isn't the immediate nailing up of the coffin it once was, it’s still out there and plenty of people continue to die from it.

The Invisible War

Directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering

The film itself contributed to changes in how allegations of sex crimes are handled. Like many policy changes, it’s not a solution by itself, but a step in the right direction.

The Queen of Versailles

Directed by Lauren Greenfield

Real life intervened and gave us a plot. We get to see people go through a range of emotions, both good and bad. We see a change in the way they interact with one another. There is substance and even sadness in watching their family fortune deteriorate.

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap

Directed by Ice-T

If you’re at all a (hip hop) fan, the nearly two hours flies by as a new perspective or another rhyme is never too far away.


The Real Winner: Searching for Sugar Man (Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn)

And My Winner Is...

The Invisible War

Directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering

"There are some works of writing or painting, speech, or film that do more than just stand as great works of art. They change things. They put before us something fundamentally wrong with the world — with the society we take for granted, with the institutions on which we depend and that in turn depend on us — and demand change. "The Invisible War" belongs in that pantheon, and is easily one of the most important films of the year." - Jonathan Hahn, The Los Angeles Review of Books

Click here to see all of The Dellies!

The Invisible War

Directed by Kirby Dick.

2012. Not Rated, 97 minutes.

Cast:

Kori Cioca

Jessica Hinves

Robin Lynne Lafayette

Ariana Kay

Trina McDonald

Elle Helmer

Hannah Swell

Rob McDonald

Lee Le Teff

Susan L. Burke

Amy Herdy

Jerry Sewell

Amy Ziering

Kirby Dick

For decades, it’s been a not-so-secret secret that the American military has a serious problem with sexual assault. According to statistics provided by the U.S. government, over twenty percent of women who serve have suffered such a crime at the hands of a fellow serviceman. Since we know that these offenses are not reported nearly as much as they occur, it’s logical to assume that the actual percentage of women assaulted is considerably higher. However, the rapes and other heinous acts are not the biggest problem. Far more troublesome is the culture that enables the culprits by protecting them. In fact, many of the women who have reported being assaulted have suffered adverse effects to their career. These include reduction in rank and pay for various forms of insubordination and less than honorable discharges. This, of course, is in addition to the physical and emotional damage don by their assailants. In The Invisible War, we meet a handful of women, plus one man brave enough to admit he was assaulted, and hear their stories. We also hear from a number of higher-ups in both the military and political arenas.

The stories themselves are heart-breaking. In each instance, the woman was not only raped, but mocked and railroaded for it. The latter two just as hurtful, if not more so, than the rape itself. We also meet the loved ones of the victims and see the trouble these attacks and subsequent events has caused whole families. Their continued frustration is exacerbated by the lack of reasonable answers. Besides that, efforts made by the military to curtail sexual assault have proven to be weak, at best.

For the sake of full disclosure, I feel it’s important to mention that I served three years in the U.S. Army. During my time in service I’ve never heard of an attack on a female soldier. Admittedly, other than basic training I was in fully co-ed units with lots of females around, both military and civilian. Perhaps this relative abundance may have curbed some predatory urges. Of course, I have nothing to back this idea and not even saying that it’s true. I’m just a guy trying to rationalize things in my own head. Then again, I was never in a position of authority so maybe I just wasn’t privy to such things. In any case, my point really is that not all military men are slugs who prey on women. I hope that doesn’t get lost by anyone who watches this documentary, especially since it more than deserves your attention.

There is good news at the end of it all. The film itself contributed to changes in how allegations of sex crimes are handled. Like many policy changes, it’s not a solution by itself, but a step in the right direction. Kudos to the young women, and to the man, who put themselves out there by allowing the filmmakers to document their pain.

MY SCORE: 10/10