✨ my rating: 2.5 of 5 stars ✨

Worth a watch. The documentary managed to get archival footage and many people’s views – though some of them did seem like they were trying to push the blame, and others seemed morbidly unremorseful about what they did. It also shows the effect of social media and the pervasive celebrity culture that we live in today.

However, I’m aware that the show’s executive producer is Jerry Media, which was also behind the marketing for Fyre Festival. So… I don’t know, it seems quite shady and one-sided to me. Like how they were all pinning the blame on the one guy, Billy, making him seem like the ultimate devious scammer, when there were many of the others who knew what a scam it was and still went along with it. I’m doubtful that this is a documentary that we can trust. Nevertheless, it did raise questions and prompts one to think more about its implications and lack of morality in the circles of the rich and famous.

(Also! I sincerely hope that the workers in the Bahamas get their money given that they literally worked day and night for over a month and didn’t get a cent.)

Fyre; directed by Chris Smith

🌹date watched: 9 feb 2019 🌹

✨ my rating: 1 of 5 stars ✨

This was definitely interesting, showing a part of the world not often represented. I liked the innovative close-up shots, and the honest unfiltered depiction of life in the rural village. However, I felt that it lacked real depth. It’s a documentary and it’s evidently trying to convey a message, but whatever it’s trying to say is very muted. Lacking a sufficient narrative and containing just content, it merely reflected what I perceive is only the surface of their lives. If they really wanted to explore the issues of poverty or the different way of life, a lot more could have been done. There were also some parts that felt rather stilted, and I wondered if it was scripted (probably not), or perhaps the people were self-conscious due to the presence of a camera crew (such as in the scene in the fields when the men and women were talking about beauty). The idea is good, but the film is forgettable.

The Trader; directed by Tamta Gabrichidze

🌹date watched: 17 jan 2019 🌹

✨ my rating: 0.5 of 5 stars ✨

If there’s anything this documentary achieved, it was solidifying my dislike for Carrey and other actors like him. Contrast bearded older Carrey with his younger self, and you can see that not much has changed really – the sense of entitlement practically oozes out, just with a different tone of voice and perhaps more gravitas that age has conferred.

To me, this is not a case of method acting taken to the extreme, it’s narcissism on a pedestal. He spoke of having depression before, and I have nothing to say about anyone who is dealing with their inner demons. What bothers me is his utter lack of remorse, and continual justification of his abhorrent behaviour, as if he was being some great actor who was so immersed in his role, when really he’s just using it as a context for his own problems and issues. For instance, him trying to aggravate the boxer Lawler, when Lawler himself said that the real Kaufman and him were at the very least civil in real life. Watching the footage is like watching home videos of a five year old seeking attention from an exasperated group of adults who all look sick and tired of his antics. When you think it can’t get any worse, it does. In the last part, Carrey speaks as if he’s some kind of otherworldly, enlightened figure, and it’s full of pretentious nonsense with such little substance to it; I can’t even render it as a philosophical musing. As a viewer, it’s frankly quite unpleasant to watch.

Content aside, I felt that the documentary was flat too. If they had interviewed the directors, the actors on set, the producers – now that would have given a much fuller (and less annoying) picture of the situation. As it stands, the documentary seems to just be an ego-trip for Carrey, ending on a note that portrays him as transcendent when in reality, the universe he’s in is in his own head, full of himself. 


Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond; directed by Chris Smith

🌹date watched: 16 jan 2019 🌹

✨ my rating: 4 of 5 stars ✨

Wow, this was so captivating. First off, the fact that this was made by a Singaporean, about something that happened in Singapore, and was important to our film culture, made me so proud. Interestingly, I think that it has more recognition outside of the country than within, because its achievements at film festivals haven’t been publicised locally. 

The cinematography of the old film footage is gorgeous, and you can tell that they were really talented and creative artists. The documentary’s narrative was spun really well; it was engaging and artistic and creepy all at the same time, and it really, really sucks you in; I couldn’t pull my eyes away. It still remains a mystery to me why the director would disappear with all the footage – even with all the explanations, it just seems strange, like a weird thriller movie, but I am so glad they retrieved it in the end – though with broken hearts and lost dreams. 

I admit to being slightly suspicious of her portrayal of the director Georges, because of how one-sided and dehumanising it was, especially given that we don’t get to hear from his point of view. As with any story, they need to cast a bad guy, and he fits it, even though logically we should question the apparent ignorance of the rest of them. Yet, one good thing about Tan is that she didn’t shun away from putting in interview clips that put her in a bad light as well, providing a more open-ended depiction of her role in it. One more thing – my only contention would be that she had this monotone that made it draggy at times, and some of the monologue sounded contrived and pretentious. 

Apart from that, the film was incredibly good – raw, engaging; leaving me feeling bittersweet. 

Shirkers; directed by Sandi Tan

🌹date watched: 7 jan 2019 🌹