Bold Colors and Pathos

Five animated documentary recommendations

After seeing the The Remarkable Life of Ibelin at IFFBoston, I have been reflecting on some of my favorite animated documentaries. My introduction to this subgenre was The Missing Picture, Rithy Pahn's documentary about his childhood during the Khmer Rouge. I was surprised to find myself feeling such a range of emotions in reaction to figurines and miniature sets. I was awe struck and full of joy during a tour through an incredibly detailed movie studio that Rithy Pahn frequented as a child. And I remember being brought to tears during a handul of scenes - the faces of the clay figurines were expressive and haunting. They carried the weight of the real lives that were lost.  In a fictional animated film we have the comfort of knowing that the events and people are not real, and the ending will most likely be a happy one. Not so in the animated documentary, where the stakes are much higher and anything can happen. 

Animation also allows for dreams, memories, and fears to seamlessly be woven into a narrative. It gives incredible freedom and tools to convey the inner lives and feelings of subjects. Flavors of Iraq, an animated episodic documentary series achieves this masterfully with an adult narrator Feurat Alani conveying his experiences as a child in Iraq - the adult's voice is heard, but the playful and exaggerated depictions represent the viewpoint of a child. 

I don't believe in ranking documentaries - claiming one work is better than the other. Each documentary has its own goals and artistic merits. These recommendations are my personal favorites. Below I will be going into more detail about each animated documentary. These have vastly different styles, but all of them are powerful personal and political stories. 

Eternal Spring

2022, Director Jason Lotus

A high stakes action-packed story that highlights the fight for religious freedom in China. The spiritual group Falun Gong was banned by the Chinese government. Comic book illustrator Daxiong and his friends plan to interrupt a state TV signal with a short positive video about the Falun Gong movement to help gain public support. It is comparable to Jean Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows, a fiction film about the underground French resistance to the Nazi occupation. A gripping narrative from start to finish that showcases the power of dissent and the struggle for human rights in China.

Rent or Buy online at: https://eternalspringfilm.com/

Flee

2021, Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen

Amin must flee Kabul with his mother, two sisters, and brother when civil war erupts as the Soviets leave Afghanistan in the late 1980s. The story is told through interviews with Amin as he recounts his life on the run and the lies he told about himself in order to receive asylum.

Some of the animation mimics more traditional documentaries – such as the sit down interviews with Amin and actual news footage of Soviets leaving Afghanistan.  Flee uses a wide range of styles - sometimes black and white charcoal like drawing for hazy traumatic memories, brightly colored and nostalgic look for happy childhood memories of Kabul, and a more realistic look for present day interviews. Flee is a visually stunning and moving story of a young man who discovers himself while reckoning with the enormous challenges of his past.  

Stream on Hulu or rent through Amazon or YouTube.

The Missing Picture

2013, Director Rithy Pahn

Through mixed media and figurines, director Rithy Pahn highlights the beauty of everyday life in Cambodia and confronts the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. Pahn recounts the joys and extreme hardships of his childhood. The Khmer Rouge was a communist group that took over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and used violence, coercion, and forced labor to control citizens. There are extremely limited surviving archival photos and film of the atrocities. Pahn’s striking figurines and miniature landscapes give a fuller picture of this time and the impact it had on so many individuals. Essential viewing that honors the dead with pathos and dignity.

Watch online with Kanopy

Waltz with Bashir

2008, Director Ari Folman

Waltz with Bashir is probably the best known animated documentary. When it was first released in 2008, it was debated whether or not it should even count as a documentary. It is told from the perspective of director Ari Folman, who was an Israeli soldier during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Through interviews with fellow soldiers, flashbacks, memories, and nightmares, the documentary follows Folman as he tries to remember exactly what he participated in during the war. Folman offers challenging reflections on the horrors of war and individual responsibility.  

Rent or Buy online with Amazon, YouTube, or AppleTV.

Flavors of Iraq

2019, Director Leonard Cohen and Author Feurat Alani

In this episodic documentary series Iraqi-French journalist Feurat Alani recounts memories from his childhood and teenage years and how it was impacted by the Saddam Hussein Regime and the start of the Iraq War in 2003. Episodes range from 3 to 5 minutes each.

Of the documentaries recommended here, this series is the most abstract and impressionistic in style. Often transitions are achieved through a morphing and swirling of one object into another. The size and shape of characters can dramatically change. This unique style is effective in portraying both the richness of Iraqi culture and daily life, while also capturing the ever present fear under tyranny and war.

Watch online for free at: https://www.france24.com/en/20190130-flavours-iraq-animated-tv-series-childhood-war

Viewing Tip

Most of these documentaries are available to stream online. If you’re on a tight budget, then consider getting a library card. In the United States and Canada many libraries will give you free access to Kanopy, a streaming service which has thousands of films and documentaries. You can also check-out DVDs through your local library and interlibrary loan.