A picture from the balls competition for drags.
Documentaries are often an underrated genre of film in younger generations, but probably my personal favorite. They give you a unique perspective into the lives of people, a perspective much more personal than any fictional movie could give you. And that’s because it’s all real.
From drag queens to weed wars, documentaries allow people a quick glance into parts of society that often remain untouched and isolated from popular media. Many of them explore cultures that are hidden from the spotlight, giving people a chance to acknowledge and learn about a part of our world that often times might be completely unheard of.
Now, regardless of your opinion on the issue as a political controversy, the 2007 documentary, The Union, was well filmed and gave viewers a peak into an industry that does a very good job of hiding from view. That is, until recently with marijuana newly legalized in both Colorado and Washington. The Union focuses on the expanding the marijuana industry, exploring the process of growing and distributing, along with many statistics relating to the industry and the legalization of the drug. Of course, people’s opinions on this documentary will be biased, based on their previously formed opinion on the subject going in. Regardless of the controversial nature of the subject, the film presents it’s argument through a series of well-edited clips that give the viewer a well-informed point of view. They make an attempt to prove their point through both a medical and economic stand point, helping to engage the audience from many different angles with the hopes of them one day sharing the same opinion.
In the end, it’s the use of solid interviews and clean editing that allow this documentary to make a professional argument for the legalization/decriminalization of marijuana. Without these aspects, this documentary could’ve very well just been another “stoner movie”.
On a different note is the 1991 documentary Paris Is Burning, which explores the world of drag in the 1980’s, including an exclusive look into the culture of balls. Balls are a form of drag competition, where participants dress up and walk down a runaway and win prizes for it. But this expands farther than just a competition. This documentary shows a culture created around the balls. Not only does this give the audience a look into a culture that is probably incredibly foreign to them, but it gives them a look into the lives of people involved. This personal look into their lives is what helps to give this documentary so much weight. In the end, the argument that Jennie Livingston, the director, is trying to create is simple. She wants to show that the people in this culture, while they live a very different life than most of society, have the same fundamental human desires and goals, just like everyone else.
This argument is well presented through in depth and personal interviews with competitors, as well as a strong explanation of the culture overall. But in the end, it’s the intimacy that Livingston creates that truly gets her point across.
The purpose that documentaries serve is two fold. Not only do they serve to often times argue a point, hoping to give the audience a new perspective on something, but they also explore realms of society that we often hide behind the curtain like the Wizard of Oz. But these hidden cultures and societies are just as important as the wizard behind the curtain, which is exactly why documentaries are such an important genre of film.