First of all - as a documentary filmmaker myself - I just want to say, wow!!
What a beautifully constructed and executed film. Those five years you spent making it certainly bear out on screen! First rate from top to bottom. The producing (getting access, the ambition of the story), the directing (capturing so many great moments, the deft use of verite scenes to drive the storytelling, the sense of really 'being in the room'), and the shooting, sound, cutting and music (too many good things to list here!).
I just read a couple of the reviews that focused on the problem of building the film around Van - and his willingness to cross political lines to gain a limited objective - and while I understand the broader political critique, from a storytelling perspective I think you guys absolutely made the right call. Even if you're inclined to squirm at Van sharing time, shoulder to shoulder, with the reptilian Jared Kushner, the film still revolves around the serious issue of how to move the political blockage in Congress forward in a sophisticated way. And at least in this one very specific instance, the needle was significantly moved...
Congratulations to you and Brandon!
What a beautifully constructed and executed film. Those five years you spent making it certainly bear out on screen! First rate from top to bottom. The producing (getting access, the ambition of the story), the directing (capturing so many great moments, the deft use of verite scenes to drive the storytelling, the sense of really 'being in the room'), and the shooting, sound, cutting and music (too many good things to list here!).
I just read a couple of the reviews that focused on the problem of building the film around Van - and his willingness to cross political lines to gain a limited objective - and while I understand the broader political critique, from a storytelling perspective I think you guys absolutely made the right call. Even if you're inclined to squirm at Van sharing time, shoulder to shoulder, with the reptilian Jared Kushner, the film still revolves around the serious issue of how to move the political blockage in Congress forward in a sophisticated way. And at least in this one very specific instance, the needle was significantly moved...
Congratulations to you and Brandon!