Six Superb "Human Interest" Documentaries

I love documentaries.  Even the most biased ones still have the ability to impart useful information if you can successfully sift through the rhetoric and prejudice.  While a truly impartial film is an impossibility, that is just as well since personal feelings and testimony are usually what makes documentaries so entertaining.  The six movies listed below are no exception, and all of them have a common theme: the human condition.  Whether the subject is what we think or feel or believe, each of these documentaries delves into a facet of human life that I find fascinating.

“A Certain Kind of Death”

Everyone has their own ideas about what happens when we die, but one thing is certain; whether it is a grand, public ceremony or a small, quiet service, all of us would like to be fondly remembered by our family and friends.  But what about the deceased that don’t have loved ones to attend to their last wishes?  What do you do with an unclaimed body?  “A Certain Kind of Death” examines the procedures that local government services provide for those who die and have no relatives to make arrangements.  This film's particular perspective is not readily apparent at first, but it creates a subtle and unique impact upon the viewer.

All of the people interviewed for “A Certain Kind of Death” offer no opinions or personal observations about their jobs.  All they do is describe their part in the process while we watch what happens to the bodies.  The absence of emotional testimony is very refreshing.  All documentaries suffer from bias, but “A Certain Kind of Death” does a superb job of making the viewer feel like they can decide for themselves whether what unfolds honors the unmourned or leaves something to be desired.  Squeamish folks are warned to have the remote ready as there are a few unpleasant scenes involving just discovered corpses.

“Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?”

Anyone remotely associated with the art world knows about Jackson Pollock, but how many career truck drivers are familiar with the man who broke new ground with his splatter paintings?  Teri Horton had no clue who the #$&% Jackson Pollock was, but after a fateful purchase at a five and dime store, this 73 year-old woman suddenly discovered that she may have bought one of Pollock’s lost works for the staggering sum of five dollars!!

The film follows Horton’s agonizing attempts to authenticate her purchase, and the culture clash that erupts between this blue collar worker and the blue-nosed art snobs is hilarious and very revealing.  Teri Horton never had a higher education, but her common sense and tenacity keep her going despite the sneering derision heaped upon her.  Though the film lacks a resounding conclusion, it is a fascinating portrait of two very disparate strata of society, brought contentiously together by a mutual need for validation.

“Dear Zachary”

Have you ever loved someone who wasn’t just “a little off” but actually insane?  Most of us are fortunate enough to find a life partner who is not a ticking time bomb of psychosis.  Andrew Bagby was not so lucky.  A sweet and soulful young man, Andrew was loved by all who knew him.  Then he met Shirley Jane Turner, and the slow, inexorable way in which his simple world collapsed into a mental nightmare is horrifying.

Andrew Bagby & Kurt Kuenne

“Dear Zachary” is impossible to summarize without revealing information of colossal spoiler value.  It is an utterly heartbreaking story, and the end is a shocking gut punch, especially when you realize who made this film.  Andrew Bagby’s lifelong friend, Kurt Kuenne was solely responsible for every aspect.  Despite the tragedy, this film deserves to be seen, as it is a poignant and affecting tribute to a dear friend.  A box of tissues is required.

“In the Realms of the Unreal”

Henry Darger was 81 years old when he died in Chicago in 1973, but no one could have suspected that this quiet little janitor would rock the art world with one of the greatest discoveries of the modern era.  Henry Darger had few friends and led a reclusive life, but after Darger's passing his landlord unearthed a historic treasure trove of writings and artworks in the deceased's apartment.  For decades Darger had labored over a 15,000 plus page novel and multiple massive painted canvasses, some as large as 12 feet across.  The sheer volume of written and visual work astounds the eye and overwhelms the mind with its epic scope.

“The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion” is a monumental work of fiction.  What is even more astonishing is that Henry Darger was self-taught.  He never graduated from any school nor took any formal training of any kind.  Yet Darger was able conjure an amazingly detailed story and compose colossal watercolor illustrations that comprise a fantastic story of grand mythical adventure.  Though his living years were spent in total obscurity, Henry Darger left behind an artistic legacy that is an enthralling testament to the power of imagination and creativity.

“Prodigal Sons”

Like many young married couples, Loren and Carol McKerrow greatly desired children.  Believing themselves incapable of having their own, Loren and Carol adopted a young boy and named him Marc.  However, on the day of Marc’s homecoming, Carol discovered that she was pregnant for the first time.  The new parents choose Paul as the name for their biological child, and another son, Todd, was born soon after.  What begins as a rose-colored story of a happy quintet morphs into a mesmerizing tale of identity crisis and transformation. The fact that this family remained together and supported one another through such extreme changes is a sterling example of what “family values” ought to mean.

Carol McKerrow, Marc McKerrow & Kimberly Reed

Paul realizes that she is transgender, and undergoes the difficult process of transitioning into being Kimberly Reed.  Todd struggles to come to terms with being homosexual, and their adopted brother Marc exhibits increasing mental problems and has to be committed.  A further bombshell occurs when it is discovered that Marc is related to one of Hollywood's most famous directors.  The amount of growth, acceptance and forgiveness that the McKerrow family experiences and embraces is harrowing and exhilarating.  Watching these brave souls trying to make sense of their place in the world is incredibly inspiring, and the film captures all of these moments with a tenderness that will have you weeping with joy at the inner beauty that shines forth.

“Cane Toads”

As all of the above documentaries are quite intense, I want to end with one that is funny and lighthearted.  “Cane Toads” is one of the best human interest documentaries I’ve ever seen.  The film begins with a jaw-dropping governmental goof: the introduction of the Cane Toad into Australia.  It was hoped that the Cane Toad would consume and thereby curb the cane beetle pest.  However, the two species never encounter each other in their natural habitats and the Cane Toads proceed to eat everything else.  RESEARCH, people!  Look into it!  The Cane Toads have no natural enemies in Australia, and so their population explodes.

While the facts of this biological blunder are fascinating, the rogues’ gallery of quirky locals and officials who are interviewed provide the true entertainment.  The variety of human responses to the Cane Toad invasion is enthralling, and the personalities and stories are by turns heartbreaking, hilarious and exceedingly irreverent.  While some have lost pets to the Cane Toads’ poison, others smoke it to get high!  Some run over every single toad on the road while others feed them from their back porch like pigeons.  The Cane Toad may be the subject of the film, but it is the humans who are the stars.