Elise Pearlstein Movies
- 2012
- PG
After decades of ongoing strife between Israel and Palestine, many observers believe the only reasonable solution for peace is for the two peoples to have two separate states, and in 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad began promoting a campaign that would see Palestine recognized as a state by the United Nations. Fayyad sought to set aside divisiveness and instead asked Palestinians to imagine what sort of a state they would want, and then take concrete steps towards making it a reality. Fayyad's campaign, which he freely admitted was inspired by the program that led to the U.S.'s recognition of Israel in 1949, earned the respect of a number of international leaders and helped establish a common ground between many activists in the Middle East, but the plan fell short of its goals. Filmmaker Dan Setton profiles Salam Fayyad and chronicles his efforts to bring Palestine to the United Nations in the documentary State 194. The film was an official selection at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2011
- PG13
Filmmaker Jessica Yu examines the looming global water crisis and what can be done to avoid it in this documentary. While water is arguably the world's most important natural resource, shockingly little is being done to protect the global water supply, and a number of leading scientists have produced evidence suggesting the amount of potable water is diminishing at an appalling rate (parts of the western United States and Australia are already becoming mired in drought). Issues such as irresponsible management permit massive amounts of water to go to waste, and lax regulation of corporations has led to pollution that causes unexpected problems (for example, one widely used herbicide present in many water supplies is causing frogs to change sex). Featuring a combination of expert interviews (including Erin Brockovich, who talks at length about the real-life Hinkley, CA, pollution case that was adapted into the popular film that bears her name), comedy sketches (some featuring Jack Black) and cleverly edited montages, Last Call at the Oasis also examines what can be done to help save our freshwater supplies before it's too late. The film received its world premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner uses reports by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore's Dilemma author Michael Pollan as a springboard to exploring where the food we purchase at the grocery store really comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations. By exposing the comfortable relationships between business and government, Kenner gradually shines light on the dark underbelly of the American food industry. The USDA and FDA are supposed to protect the public, so why is it that both government regulatory agencies have been complicit in allowing corporations to put profit ahead of consumer health, the American farmer, worker safety, and even the environment? As chicken breasts get bigger and tomatoes are genetically engineered not to go bad, 73,000 Americans fall ill from powerful new strains of E. coli every year, obesity levels are skyrocketing, and adult diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. Perhaps if the general public knew how corporations use exploited laws and subsidies to create powerful monopolies, the outrage would be enough to make us think more carefully about the food we put into our bodies. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jessica Yu offers an unusual look at the simultaneous diversity and commonality of four very different men in this documentary. In Protagonist, Yu recalls the structural format of the ancient Greek playwright Euripides -- whose stories were often marked by human tragedy, the commentary of a chorus of independent observers, and the sudden and unexpected intervention of the divine -- as she chronicles the lives of a thief, a student of martial arts, a preacher who has renounced his past as a homosexual, and a political terrorist. Protagonist was screened in competition as part of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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