Portside

Doug Liman’s “Justice,” a breathtaking documentary about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s silenced sexual assault accusers, goes a long way to proving the reality of the fears at the heart of this particular case. Mainly, that there was such a desire at several levels of government to see Kavanaugh on the bench that due diligence wasn’t followed, and barely even attempted. A compelling piece of journalism.

“RRR” -“Rise Roar Revolt”- turns history into legend by way of heightened visual rhetoric. It’s based very loosely on the real-life stories of two Indian revolutionaries of the early twentieth century, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, who joined forces and contested the oppression of British colonial power. The film is currently streaming on Netflix and will be theatrically released again in March 2023. The Oscar-Nominated Song "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" will be performed at the Academy Awards.

Laura Poitras' "All the beauty and the Bloodshed" is a powerful documentary about Nan Goldin’s life and work against the Sackler family and their role in the opioid epidemic. The film has been nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary.

For God knows how long, the women of an isolated religious community have been drugged with cow tranquilizer and raped on a regular basis during the night. The women had been told they were being violated by ghosts, demons, or even Satan himself — punishment for their own improprieties. They believed that lie until two young girls saw one of the rapists as he left one night. The women of the colony, have 48 hours to decide what their future will be like. Will they leave or stay?

The latest feature from Jafar Panahi, who is currently imprisoned in Iran, explores the subversive power and the ethical limitations of filmmaking.

Democracy Now interviews director Santiago Mitre about “Argentina, 1985,” his dramatization of the Trial of the Juntas, when a civilian court prosecuted Argentina’s former military leaders for brutal crimes committed during the U.S.-backed right-wing military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. The film just won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in a Non-English Language and is also shortlisted for an Oscar for best international film.

If only Emancipation actually had a memorable message. Despite a committed cast and stunning cinematography, the film’s script is too blunt and the direction too ham-fisted to make it anything more than another rote entry in the slavery-movie genre.

Tia Lessin and Emma Pildes' expansive and emotional documentary about the Jane Collective sheds necessary light on a very recent history.