I’m fascinated by the growing trend of documentaries that take a look at recent history. I got a chance to see Alex Gibney’s Casino Jack a few days ago, finally watched Outrage last week, and in checking out the trailer for 8: The Mormon Proposition, I have to say that I’m loving the forced-transparency that is coming with our media-overloaded lives. Of course, there’s a slant to all of these documentaries, but they are Zinn-like in their quality of telling a different side to the story.
The Mormon Proposition takes a look at the infusion of money from the Mormon Church in Utah during the push to get Prop 8, a proposition which strictly defined marriage, passed and added on to the California Constitution. This, of course, came as a direct response to gay marriage being legalized in the state.
On a purely artistic front, it’s a very effective trailer. There are a lot of emotions running high, a lot of competing viewpoints on this issue, and I’m hoping that the documentary deals with all of them wearing velvet gloves. It seems obvious the slant that’s being taken here, but even those who agree with the proposition might still agree that carpetbagging a vote is unethical.
So there’s two issues there at least, and if the documentary lives up to its advertising, it’ll address carefully many more than that.
Either way, and politics aside, I’m looking forward to it.
What do you think?
Check out the hi-def version at Apple.com.
Related Topics: Documentary, Politics, Religion
