The Edge of Democracy: Contenders at MoMA/ DOCNYC

Amidst the shit storm of impeachment inquiry of the president Spike Lee calls “Agent Orange,” noting heavy toxins, the documentary The Edge of Democracy tells a political history set in Brazil, juxtaposed with the personal story of the director Petra Costa’s family. This relentless political drama can be seen as a cautionary tale, or just a grim look at what our world endures today as lies gain stature, dignity falls away, and everywhere, the people lose. At a special screening at MoMA, part of the current Contenders series auguring awards ahead, Lee introduced the film to a packed crowd. Most chilling in Brazil’s case, deposed officials refused to step down claiming corruption, the equivalent of “fake news.”

A must-see, The Edge of Democracy was also featured in the DOC/NYC festival that ended this week with a new look at a literary artist we thought we knew well, The Capote Tapes. Director Ebs Burnough used the newly discovered original interviews George Plimpton made with Truman Capote’s friends after his death. While fiction films we know starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones focus on the writer’s work on In Cold Blood, the documentary goes farther into Capote’s childhood, life as a celebrity including his Black & White Ball, and achievement up to the scandalous Answered Prayers.

Other fine artist portraits from DOC/NYC, dedicated to D. A. Pennebaker, include Elliot Erwitt, Silence Sounds Good and Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack, and Beth B's Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over.