Jacob's Turn (2010) User Reviews

What documentaries should be

[rico567 · 9/10 · 18 June 2011]

Portraying the essence of ordinary people candidly, pursuing what is important in their lives, is what documentary filmmaking is all about, and Jacob's Turn does this splendidly. Too often, documentaries are seen as a vehicle for the philosophy of the producer and/or director....and there should be another category for these things. I shall hereby suggest "Films acting as a lens for my morbidly obese ego." The documentary as solipsistic point-of-view is the opposite of Jacob's Turn, which is refreshingly and engagingly transparent. The filmmaker and camera disappear, and we are pulled into the small-town world of a boy engaged in the most ordinary and American of activities- playing baseball. The film forms no categories, makes no distinctions nor engages in special pleading. It just IS. As Leo Tolstoy said, "The secret of life is living it."

Transcending the mere documentary

[larissa8164 · 26 July 2011]

A profound story told in a simple, straightforward, yet incisive way. There is no room for empty rhetoric as the story unfolds, only words and images that touch the viewer as they smoothly flow. The narration, images/photography, sound are perfectly mixed and harmoniously balanced, expertly woven together to create a masterly story. This documentary actually transcends the boundaries of the genre: it provides a thorough insight into Jacob's life without any external intrusion. And the smile and gladness of this extraordinary child linger on even after the end of the documentary. A great contribution to the world of documentaries.