Here at Met Radio, we’re celebrating the year 2024 with a series of lists rounding up our favourites of the year! We’ve invited station volunteers and staff to share their top ten of anything that encapsulates their year in pop culture (or otherwise). New lists to surprise and delight will be dropping on the Met Radio website every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this December!
I’ve always been into documentaries, but I definitely took my love to the next level this year! I’m Sarra, the Collective Coordinator here at Met Radio. Documentaries are probably some of my favourite forms of media. What can I say? I’m a total nerd and like learning things in creative ways. Seeing as I’ve spent so much of my time not only watching documentaries but taking a documentary production class, I thought I’d share some of my favourite documentaries that I watched this year!
Space Cowboy
This might be one of my favourite documentaries of all time. It follows skydiving cinematographer, Joe Jennings, as he is trying to pull off his craziest stunt: dropping a car full of skydivers safely out of an airplane! Through a collection of archival footage and interviews we learn Joe’s journey. It is an exhilarating and heart-warming documentary full of stunning skydiving shots. The film highlights Joe’s mental health struggles. As co-director Marah Strauch put it, “it’s a fun film about depression”. I couldn’t get this movie out of my head for a while after seeing it. It was so moving and inspirational. The film isn’t released yet but keep an eye out for it!
Patrice: The Movie
Patrice: The Movie is one of the most beautiful documentaries I’ve ever seen. The film is about Patrice Jetter, a crossing guard living in New Jersey with a disability. We follow as Patrice tries to marry the love of her life, Garry. The couple learns that in the U.S., getting married or even moving in together means they will lose their disability benefits. Through a series of school play-esque tableaus with children playing the adults in her life, we see how Patrice has overcome her obstacles. This touching story shines a light on issues that most people can go through life never thinking about. I highly recommend giving it a watch. The film isn’t out in Canada but has been released on Hulu in the States.
So Surreal: Behind The Masks
This documentary is a perfect combination of Indigenous studies and art history (two of my favourite topics)! The film takes us on the journey of tracking down Indigenous ceremonial masks taken from the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and Yupʼik people. These masks have an interesting history that involves famous European surrealist artists. This is a part of Indigenous history that I never learned about in school so I’m really happy that I was able to learn from this documentary. Again, it isn’t available yet but definitely add it to your list if any of this seems interesting.
Will & Harper
Will & Harper follows long time friends Will Ferrell and Harper Steele on a road trip across the United States. The two met on the set of SNL and 30 years later, Harper came out as a trans woman. To reconnect, the two decide to journey to the off-the-beaten-path places in the heart of the U.S. that Harper hasn’t visited since her transition. It is a lovely story of friendship and allyship that highlights Harper’s late in life transition. You can watch this one on Netflix!
Men of War
This documentary was so crazy that for the first twenty minutes I was trying to figure out if it was a mockumentary! While we were all locked in our rooms in May 2020, former U.S. soldier Jordan Goudreau (who is actually from Mississauga, Ontario) was at the centre of a coup attempting to overthrow the Venezuelan government. It is a really engaging story and is worth the watch based on entertainment value alone. It isn’t out anywhere yet but I hope it is out soon because I need to rewatch it.
The Stroll
The Stroll is about the trans sex workers in New York City’s Meatpacking District. It is really raw telling of their often erased and ignored stories. The film was very clearly handled with care being directed by Kristen Lovell, a trans woman who was working the streets alongside her subjects. The film is so much more than just a recounting of violence and policing that trans people faced, it is about the community built between these women. If you like learning about trans history this is a must watch!
From Ground Zero
From Ground Zero is a collection of 22 short films by Palestinian directors living in Gaza. It features mixed media pieces, some documentary, some scripted. It is really inspiring to see what all of these artists put together, a lot of the time with very limited resources. As a collection it really showcases the resilience and creativity of Palestinian people. I hope people get to watch this film soon.
Studio 54
This film tells the story of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager who opened the iconic New York City disco, Studio 54. Disco, drugs, going to prison for tax evasion! This story has got everything. It explores how Schrager and Rubell made Studio 54 into the celebrity hotspot we know it as today. The film really takes you on a journey with Rubell and Schrager and things snowball and go out of control. It is definitely a tale about the dangers of overindulgence but it is also a cool look into the friendship and business partnership between Rubell and Schrager. You can watch it on Netflix.
Rebeladas
Rebeladas is about the women behind the Colectivo Cine Mujer (Women’s Cinema Collective) in Mexico. This group’s filmmaking addressed feminist issues in the 1970s. The film tells their story and gives an overarching view of feminism issues in Mexico. Besides the archival footage and retellings, the film explores where feminism and feminist art sits in current Mexican society. The film really showcases who deeply feminism is connected with the arts, and demonstrates the importance of that connection.
A Hundred Joys
A Hundred Joys is a short film by Toronto-based filmmaker, Amanda Ann-Min Wong. The documentary tells a brief history of Toronto’s East Chinatown, which goes along Broadview Avenue towards Riverdale Park. The film focuses on local businesses and people, exploring what this cultural enclave represents. As an east-ender, I really appreciated this chance to learn more about a neighbourhood that I pass by every day. You can watch the film for free here.
