Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films

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On this page: COVER-UP | FOLKTALES | THE MARBLES

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 1.Dec.25

Cover-Up
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

Cover-Up
dir Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
prd Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus
with Seymour Hersh, Bob Woodward, David Obst, Amy Davidson Sorkin, Jeff Gerth, Camille Lo Saipo, Max Friedman, Antonio Taguba
release UK 5.Dec.25,
US 19.Dec.25
25/US 1h57

VENICE FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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Expertly assembled from an impressive range of archival photos and footage, this documentary explores government secrecy through the eyes of an acclaimed journalist who has exposed buried stories for more than 50 years. Filmmakers Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus take a remarkably open-handed approach, touching on scandals from My Lai to Watergate to Abu Ghraib, all covered boldly by an old-school journalist who can't look away from injustice.

Seymour Hersh calls this a history of America that's hard to write, refusing to allow the government to conceal the truth, even if it puts him in the crosshairs. The film traces a number of his stories, illustrated with remarkable period footage that exposes the facts. Along with the major headlines from Vietnam, the Nixon administration and the Iraq invasion, Hersh has covered a staggering range of government operations that put the public in danger but were heavily denied by officials. He tried to turn to business criminality, but corporate-owned newspapers wouldn't print those stories.

At the centre of all of this are officials who don't want to admit that they are involved in anything wrong, even if they are spying on, torturing and murdering people. And today in his office, Hersh answers Poitras' questions until they begin to get personal. Admitting that he finds it difficult to trust others, he also understands that he needs to share his entire story, including his childhood, the route he took into journalism and his family story. He also needs to confront those high-profile times when he got things badly wrong, such as when his source on JFK was found to have forged key documents.

Backing up Hersh's anecdotes with such powerful archival footage gives this film a vivid kick. He continually notes that these stories almost remained buried, and that things were often much worse than his reporting revealed. Packed with astonishing details, this documentary is assembled in a lucid, thoroughly engaging style that keeps us gripped, largely because Hersh is such an unassuming, normal working man. After all of these years digging under the surface of America's good guy image, Hersh concludes that "we're a culture of enormous violence", and you should't just look away from that.

themes, language, violence 30.Nov.25

Folktales
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

dir-prd Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
with Iselin Breivold, Thor-Atle Svortevik, Hege Birch Wik, Romain Le Biannic, Bjorn Tore Maseide, Ketil Foss, Mona Danielsen, Stefan Martenson, Yngve Beddari, Vegard Seljemo, Zuzanna Iglewska, Frank Henninen
release Nor Mar.25 hidff,
US 25.Jul.25, UK 5.Dec.25
25/Norway 1h46

SUNDANCE FILM FEST

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Gorgeous landscapes and clever cinematic touches add a touch of Norse mythology to this involving film by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, which documents an unusual school in Arctic Norway. It's a remarkable look at people who care about helping young people find inner strength to face what the world has in store. In addition to the beautiful footage, the film is packed with real emotion and resonant insight.

Exhausted by reality, teens escape to Pasvik Folk High School in Finnmark. Here, dog-sledding, survival skills and handcrafts are taught alongside the usual curriculum. Teacher Iselin notes that our brains haven't changed for 10,000 years, so caring for dogs can help unlock these kids, most of whom lack confidence. They're so far north that there are two months of darkness in the winter. Key challenges include camping alone for two nights and an extended trek into the wilderness. And we also get to see the students, and the dogs, cut loose in their free time.

Folk high schools started in Scandinavia in the 1840s to offer free education to rural communities. Now they are available to teens from around the world who are searching for a year of independence before graduation. Each young person has a story. From the Netherlands, 18-year-old Romain knows he needs a change, because he struggles with social anxiety and feels like he can't do any of this. At 19, Hege turned inward after her father's death. Also 19, Bjorn Tore doesn't have a lot of friends and hopes this experience helps make him feel less awkward. Some kids don't have a home to go back to. Some are too overwhelmed to stick it out.

Cameras follow these teens in an observant fly-on-the-wall style through a wide range of experiences over the course of the year, from hot summertime swimming to camping in the damp forest or sledding over snowy fields. It's great to see the students begin to encourage each other, surprised by what they find that they are capable of doing. As sledding teacher Thor-Atle says, "The dogs teach us to be more human." One key element is to help them take control of things they have always let others do for them. And the ultimate goal of the school is to give these kids hope that will endure even when things get difficult.

themes, language 29.Nov.25

The Marbles
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

The Marbles
dir-scr-prd David Nicholas Wilkinson
with David Wilkinson, Alexander Herman, Dominic Selwood, Ioannis Raptakis, Andrew George, Mark Stephens, Brian Cox, Janet Suzman, Alexi Kaye Campbell, Bill Nighy, Simon Callow, Stockard Channing
release UK 7.Nov.25
25/UK Guerilla 1h53

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With a wide range of beautifully shot interviews and gorgeous location footage, this fascinating documentary grapples with the thorny issue of museums repatriating artefacts to their home nations, specifically focussing on the Greek sculptures that are controversially held by the British Museum. Frankly, this is a no-brainer, and filmmaker David Wilkinson never needs to push a point as he explores the issue with remarkable detail and context.

Despite many decades of questions and protests, the British Museum and UK government have steadily refused to comment on the ownership of the Parthenon marbles. In the early 1800s, British ambassador Lord Elgin took more than 90 sculptures back to England, patronisingly arguing that the locals were incapable of protecting them. Even then, this was a scandal, with Elgin seen as a despoiler of a historic site. Legally he never owned them, and therefore sold stolen goods to the UK government. Other museums have dealt with this issue, but Britain's most-visited collection refuses to budge.

Of course this is a reflection of the destructive history of England's colonial arrogance and military looters. And the film widens to explore how other objects have been repatriated from museums to their place of origin, including to China, Australia, Thailand, Nigeria and Native American tribes. Museums in Scotland, the Netherlands and Vatican City have done this, while the British Museum clings to its sense of empire. Even so, the UK public is overwhelmingly in favour of returning the marbles to Greece.

Wilkinson points out that there is has been a long culture of stealing and selling valuable artefacts around the world, something that touches his own family history. This adds meaning to his appearance throughout the movie, which was filmed over four years to capture the global scope of history. So it's extremely clear that the UK government needs to stop ignoring or deflecting the issue. This is a fascinating, comprehensive look at a very complex topic, acknowledging the ethical, legal and emotional aspects. But it all comes down to the fact that, as Wilkinson says, "We are better than this."

themes, language, imagery 3.Nov.25

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL