Bright snow, dark world

As I slogged through the snow after my last film last night, I overheard a conversation about the bleak subject matter of Sundance documentaries: "So our government is full of corrupt liars, we're all on the verge of massive environmental devastation, refugees will soon overwhelm vast parts of the world and if that doesn't kill us, we're going to get nuked."

It's true. Documentaries at Sundance offer a tour of intractable global problems and this year is no different.

Last night it was Countdown to Zero, a film which makes a strong case for the increased probability of nuclear disaster given hair-trigger launch systems and poorly guarded enriched uranium, particularly in the former USSR. There's nothing like staring at nuclear blast ground zero grid maps of my new hometown of New York while a narrator intones the physical impact of a nuclear blast on buildings and the human body to bring on a restful night's sleep.

Fortunately, this morning I was treated to a tonic of sorts. Bilal's Stand is a remarkable and touching community-built film about the dreams of a young man who is part of a family taxi-cab company in Detroit. The film's rough edges and humanity make up a huge part of its charm.

I followed that up with His & Hers, an Irish film which details women's experiences with the men in their lives--fathers, boyfriends, husbands and sons--in a most elegant and understated way. Hard to describe but wonderful.

And then there was GASLAND, a great call to action about the impact of free-for-all natural gas exploration and its devastating impact on watersheds and drinking water across the country. Told with humor (and great banjo playing), it's a powerful unmasking of the downsides of natural gas--the pollution and water contamination caused by hydraulic fracking (ingesting millions of gallons of toxic chemicals and water into the ground). Not to give anything away, but the chemicals tend to seep into water and cause major health and environmental calamities.

I'm now taking a break from the world's troubles to stare at the snow out the window. Tomorrow I face down a documentary on Jack Abramoff. Tonight (if I can rally) is the story of Islamic youth who just want to dig into punk rock.

Doug