Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Documentaries

I love documentaries. I like that they show reality (and I'm not talking about Jersey Shore reality). I like learning about different topics and seeing parts of people's lives that I may not have ever seen. I just love documentaries. So here are a few of my favorites:

1. The Business of Being Born
The first time I saw this doc I was amazed! It's no secret that women nowadays are terrified of the whole birthing process. I love how this movie really takes away all those fears and shows how normal and truly beautiful birth is. I've always been interested in having an all-natural birth, but there are so many nay-sayers out there ("You're gonna want that epidural! Are you crazy?!"). Well, according to this documentary, I'm not crazy! It can definitely be done (as long as the pregnancy is not high-risk). I love the idea of having a water birth either in a birthing center or at home with a midwife.
Watch this movie. Alex watched it with me and he loved it too. It's nice having a supportive husband who sees the beauty in birth. Get educated, people...don't be afraid of the birthing process! Do research and make an informed decision. If you decide you still want to go the epidural route, that's fine, it's your birth, but don't make decisions out of fear and ignorance. You don't have to be afraid. Be empowered.





2. Danielson: A Family Movie
I saw this years ago and I loved it. This film focuses on Daniel Smith, a very eccentric musician/artist. He led a band made up of his siblings and they were actually pretty popular in the indie/Christian music world. Daniel is a bit disturbed and it's fascinating and sometimes a little scary seeing his ups and downs. The music is interesting and there's even an appearance by Sufjan Stevens, a family friend. I love music and creativity and seeing that whole world...so if you're into that you may enjoy this film also.





3. The September Issue
Okay, I think you all know I love fashion! It's not my life...but I appreciate fashion and all the creativity and aesthetics that goes along with it. This doc follows Vogue as they prepare for their biggest issue of the year, the September issue. The focus is on Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue and legend in the fashion world. As interesting as Anna Wintour is, I was really fascinated with Grace Coddington. She is the Creative Director at the magazine and in my eyes, an absolute genius. She would pull together the most beautiful photo shoots. When you first look at Grace you don't really think much of her (at least I didn't), but as the film goes on you begin to realize that this woman knows what she is doing and seems to almost effortlessly make these incredible fashion photo shoots happen.




4. Food, Inc.
I'll admit, I avoided seeing this movie for a long time. I didn't want to know how my food was being made. I just wanted to eat, drink, and be merry. But I finally broke down and decided to watch it (thanks to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution) and it rocked my world. I was so disgusted with...everything. I hated seeing how cows and chickens were treated and what they were fed. I hated seeing how American companies would take advantage of undocumented workers. I hated seeing how local farmers were being bullied. I was just disgusted with the food industry in general. This film really exposes a lot of ugly truths. Since watching the film I have tried to make some changes in how we eat. I shop for produce at the local farmer's market and only buy beef that is grass-fed and I purchase cage-free eggs. I'm trying to make a change, but it's difficult. If there is anyone out there who has advice on how to eat organically and sustainably (while not spending a whole lot of money), please share. This movie is really eye-opening and I highly recommend it. It's not just about eating healthy...it's also about being humane.
I think when we move to Colorado, this will be even easier to do because it's such a healthy state and it seems that the people there are big advocates for eating sustainably.





Those are just a few of my favorite documentaries. What are some of your favorites? Any recommendations? Which one should I watch next?

9 comments:

alexita said...

im not much of a documentary lover... i've only seen two which i really liked ("Supersize Me" and "Expelled") i think it's cause i know a lot of them are one-sided, and i want to make my own opinion about certain things. but these look great! i'm definitely adding them to my netflix queue ;)

alexita said...

btw, watch "Expelled". It was great!

Desiree said...

I love documentaries! The last two that really got me were My Flesh and Blood (a women and her 11 adopted special needs children) and Dear Zachary (the filmmaker makes a tribute to his murdered childhood friend for his infant son). You will cry and want to change the world, but that's what good documentaries should make you want to do.

I watched The Business of Being Born while I was pregnant with Carter, and I really wanted to go that route, but my insurance wouldn't cover it. Then, after all the bills came in, even with our insurance, we ended up paying more than what a birthing center would have cost us. :(

Anonymous said...

Alex: The first time I saw SuperSize Me I was craving McD's so bad that I went out and got a Big Mac and a McChicken afterwards, lol. Kinda gross now that I think about it. And I saw Expelled...I found it really interesting!

Desiree: Yeah, homebirths or birthing center births end up being a lot cheaper than hospital births...which I find so interesting because you'd think people would be down with spending less money.
And I saw My Flesh and Blood after you blogged about it. So intense. Turns out that family was on Extreme Home Makeover. I remember seeing their episode. I'll have to check out Dear Zachary.

Sarah said...

I think one of the only documentaries I watched was Super Size Me. It had me horrified about eating anything fast food, but it was still really good.

http://wearingitonmysleeves.blogspot.com

Desiree said...

Don't hate me after watching Dear Zachary. There was one part (you'll know if you see it) where I was standing two feet from the TV crying my eyes out and saying, "No, No, No."

I don't think I could see it again. Second half of the movie gets very intense. Let me know what you think.

Anonymous said...

Danny and I watched Food Inc. and loved it. Its a good eye opener.

Priscilla said...

I LOVED the Business of Being Born. I'll have to look into the others you've recommended. As a teacher I'm looking forward to watching "Waiting for Superman" this September. I cried at the trailer. I'm sure you'd love it.
http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/

Jessica Girado said...

I've heard a lot of great things about the "Business of Being Born." I'll have to watch it soon.

Though, I do have my own birthing documentary...Ella's waterbirth :) It truly was a wonderful experience. Women need to remember that God gave us the ability and strength to birth naturally.