Documentary of the Week

Environmentalists report the world lost half its coral reefs in the last 30 years — and the pace is increasing.

It’s one thing for someone to say that. It’s another to see it. In the film "Chasing Coral,” filmmaker Jeff Orlowski follows a team of researchers who use time-lapse cameras to examine the effects of climate change and pollution. We get as close as we can get without putting on a wet suit.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “City of Ghosts” profiles the Syrian activists from the group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently as they report on the takeover of their hometown by the Islamic State. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman follows the key organizers as their group experiences exile and assassination, but succeeds in overcoming the wall of silence.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the official film web site.

The director Errol Morris is known for probing morally challenged men, in films like "The Thin Blue Line" and "Fog of War." His new film, “The B Side: Elsa Dorfman’s Portrait Photography,” is a celebration of a woman who specialized in making pictures with a rare Polaroid large format camera. This film is a moving tribute from one artist to another.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the official film web site.

In the Netflix documentary “Nobody Speak: Trials of a Free Press,” filmmaker Brian Knappenberger looks at two cases in which American billionaires tried to silence their critics. His portrayals of the Hulk Hogan vs Gawker lawsuit and the purchase of the Las Vegas Review-Journal underscore the new threats to the first amendment.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen 

For more information, click here to visit the film web site. 

D.A. Pennebaker’s “Monterey Pop” captures the landmark 1967 concert that kicked off the summer of love. Newly restored by Criterion for the 50th anniversary, the film features memorable performances by Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, topped off by a finale with Ravi Shankar.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The Netflix documentary series “The Keepers” digs into the 1969 murder of a Baltimore nun named Sister Cathy Cesnik, a popular Catholic high-school teacher. Over seven episodes, filmmaker Ryan White connects the murder to accusations of rampant child sex abuse at Baltimore’s Keough High School. The quest for justice is an eye-opening look into corruption that is larger than just one case.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “Letters from Baghdad” is a sweeping history of the Middle East in the early 20th century, told through the eyes of the British writer Gertrude Bell, who spent three decades in the region. Filmmakers Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum enlist actress Tilda Swinton to give voice to Bell’s correspondence, set against a rich trove of archival footage and photography.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the official film web site.

The film “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower” shows how the young organizer Joshua Wong rallied fellow students in 2012 to protest Chinese meddling in the school curriculum and how it snowballed into a powerful pro-democracy movement. Filmmaker Joe Piscatella draws upon multiple sources of footage to chronicle how Joshua faced controversies and crackdowns.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the film web site. 

Thomas Sung was inspired by “It’s a Wonderful Life” to establish the Abacus bank in New York’s Chinatown as a place for immigrants to get loans. But after the 2008 financial meltdown, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr targeted Abacus bank for prosecution while other banks “too big to fail” got bailouts. Documentary maker Steve James follows the case in his new film  “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail.”

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit the official film web site.

The documentary “Get Me Roger Stone” profiles the political operative who’s infamous for campaigning with dirty tricks from Nixon to Trump. The filmmaking trio of Dylan Bank, Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme tell Stone’s history while following him over the 2016 Presidential campaign. Now that questions swirl over Stone’s connections to Russian hackers, this film serves as a vital primer to a story that's still unfolding.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

Fore more information, click here to visit the film web site.