52docs / 8 - Full Fat

Ok, I know I keep going on about it but not only did No Other Land win the Oscar, the film’s journey is a powerful reminder that the documentary form still has the power to provoke essential debate and rattle institutions. Hurrah!

From the furore the filmmakers’ acceptance speech at the Berlinale created last year to the news this week that a cinema in Miami has been threatened with eviction for screening the film, the edges of free speech have been revealed - and are being defended.

If last week’s film showed the extraordinary courage - and cost - required to stand up to power in service of truth and accountability, our next documentary does something similar by exposing deeply entrenched conventions and perceptions through someone who speaks up.

I broke the rules by watching Your Fat Friend before selecting it so I won’t give too much away except to say there are interesting parallels between Shiori and Aubrey, two woman dealt a set of cards that would send many of us into the shadows but whose courage turns their story into something remarkable - the start of a paradigm shift.

It’s been a while since a film presented me with biases and misconceptions I wasn’t even aware I was holding, made me examine them, and then gave me a whole new understanding. And isn’t that why we watch documentaries?

If you’re in the UK you can find it on iPlayer, elsewhere rent directly from the filmmaker.

Trailer