I wasn’t able to devote as much time to Hot Docs as I had the year before but I remained able to attend some enjoyment screenings. Unfortunately, although the topics, like film and sport were interesting, the narrative structure of all three documentaries that I screened was flawed. The People vs. George Lucas recounts the dissonance between Star Wars fans and franchise creator George Lucas. Fans are willing to dress up like their favourite characters or recreate scenes from the original trilogy but they loathe the changes Lucas made for the Special Edition or the new filmmaking of the Prequels. Some …
Invictus
Invictus is a satisfactory film with two significant flaws which should be addressed. The film does not decide if South African President Nelson Mandela and Springboks captain François Pienaar are equals – different leaders with their own style – or whether Mandela is at the centre of a complicated power structure as he rebuilds his country after Apartheid. If the former is the case, then there is not enough time devoted to the rugby player; he should receive equal screen time as the President. If the intent is to focus upon the latter, there should be more instances showing how …