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Descendant: meet descendants of the survivors from the last slave ship
Descendant is a sweeping tale of American history and of the descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the U.S. long after slave ships were outlawed. It’s a story of ancestry, survival, and American racism.
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Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known
Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known is an HBO Max documentary about a single performance of the Tony winning Broadway musical Spring Awakening. The original cast came together after 15 years with a week of rehearsal to stage the play one more time.
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Julia, the Julia Child documentary
Julia the documentary is a look at Julia Child’s entire life from directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West. It uses a wealth of archival footage of her cooking and giving interviews. People who knew her and worked with her speak, and modern chefs who owe so much to her were interviewed.
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Review: Phoenix Rising, Evan Rachel Wood’s story
Phoenix Rising uses two feature length episodes to document the story of Evan Rachel Wood and her abuser, rocker Marilyn Manson. It’s very frank, horrific, and hard to watch, but necessary. Amy Berg directed.
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Lucy and Desi is a loving tribute to the world famous entertainers
Lucy and Desi, from director Amy Poehler, is a look at the entire life stories of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It tells about their early lives, their marriage, their business empire, and their influence on television and American culture.
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Review: Ella Fitzgerald Just One of Those Things
Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things taught me so many things I didn’t know about the marvelous Ella Fitzgerald. I’m a lifelong fan of her music, but I didn’t know much about her personal life and struggles. This Netflix documentary fills in a lot of the details.
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Review: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It puts the decades in perspective in the documentary story of Rita Moreno. From her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her legendary and iconic status now, her life unfolds with love and affection in this documentary.
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Review: My Name is Pauli Murray
My Name is Pauli Murray is a revelation. I was today years old when I found out how much influence she/they (more on gender in a bit) had on American life and on women and people of color. She was a trailblazer, a fighter, a visionary, a poet, a lawyer, a priest. Everyone should watch […]
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Pray Away, history of a damaging movement
Pray Away tells the story of how the “pray the gay away” movement among conservative Christians began. Some of the former leaders of the movement explained their stories. Unfortunately, this damaging and dangerous practice is still ongoing. This documentary is on Netflix.
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Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story
Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story tells the story of an Australian woman who devoted her life to dispelling myths about sharks. It’s a National Geographic documentary and can be seen on Disney+.
Reviews of movies and TV focused on women