Autumn film preview 2013: Top 5 new documentaries

Paul Gallagher
30 August 2013

InRealLife

Leviathan, Muscle Shoals and InRealLife among our top factual film recommendations

InRealLife

Eclectic British filmmaker Beeban Kidron embarks on a quest to take the measure of the internet-raised generation. Prompted by seeing a young person check their smartphone at a funeral, Kidron questions what constantly being connected is doing to kids’ perspectives. From Fri 20 Sep.

Project Wild Thing

A low-budget British offering with promise, here David Bond attempts to harness the power of mass-marketing to introduce stuck-indoors children to the wonders of the natural world (beginning with his own bored kids). From Fri 25 Oct.

Love, Marilyn

Liz Garbus (Bobby Fischer Against the World) enlists a raft of Hollywood actresses including Uma Thurman, Glenn Close and Marisa Tomei to read from recently discovered diaries of Marilyn Monroe. From Tue 15 Oct.

Muscle Shoals

This is the story of a village on the banks of the Tennessee River in Alabama that improbably birthed the defining sounds of rock, soul and funk. With contributions from Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones and Bono to name a few, this one’s got crowd-pleaser written all over it. From Fri 25 Oct.

Leviathan

A detailed look at the inner workings of a fishing-trawler doesn’t sound thrilling, but with cameras shooting in every conceivable part of the process, Leviathan immerses the audience, creating a totally unique sensory experience. Winner of Edinburgh Film Festival’s Michael Powell Award. From Fri 29 Nov.

Love, Marilyn

2012
US/France
1h 47min
12A

Directed by: Liz Garbus
UK release: 18 October 2013

Modern day celebrities talk about the impact that Marilyn Monroe continues to have on their lives.

Leviathan

2012
France/UK/US
1h 27min
12A

Directed by: Lucien Castaing-Taylor/Verena Paravel
UK release: 29 November 2013

Sometimes abstract documentary shot in the North Atlantic about the travails of the fishing industry.

InRealLife

2013
UK
1h 30min
15

Directed by: Beeban Kidron
UK release: 20 September 2013

InRealLife takes us on a journey from the bedrooms of British teenagers to the world of Silicon Valley, to find out what exactly the internet is doing to our children.

Muscle Shoals

2013
US
1h 51min
PG

Directed by: Greg 'Freddy' Camalier
UK release: 25 October 2013

Documentary about the small Alabama town of Muscle Shoals, which has produced and recorded hosts of great soul, country and western, R&B and rock & roll musicians. Full of fascinating interviews and recollections, it's a celebration of the town and the people who made it famous.

Project Wild Thing

2013
UK
1h 20min

Directed by: David Bond
Cast: Michael Depledge, Susan Greenfield, Jay Griffiths

A man concerned by the impact of TV and screens upon his children, appoints himself as a marketing director of nature in a bid to see children return to more traditional outlets of recreation.