Road to the Oscars 2023. This documentary is nominated for 1 award and it´s documentary short. All I can think is, maybe you had to have been there. The Martha Mitchel effect seems like a doc you kind of have to be in on to really enjoy. It´s one of those docs where I think you at least have to be American or into foreign politics to really hit you. I had only heard about the watergate scandal briefly and I feel like I learned nothing about it from this doc. Furthermore, I feel like I learned nothing in general from this doc. It´s just an uninspired clipshow doc that is not just boring but also feels highly uninformative and unfocused.
We hear about Martha Mitchel a cabinet wife that the Nixon government tried to silence and gaslight her.
The documentary really didn't do a good job engaging me in the conflict. It feels more like a sequel or follow-up to a larger work where all the information was presented. I found the doc all over the place and really unfocused in general. I´m not sure what was being presented half the time and the mixing of stories and ideas never blended into a larger meaning. It´s a "then this happened" doc that never engages you.
The unforcedness isn't helped by the length of the doc either. The doc moves so fast, never really delving into any of it´s aspects. It never takes it´s time to explain anything and present anything so it´s understandable what's going on to someone who knows nothing of the subject matter.
I feel like I learned nothing from the doc. I still feel like I know nothing of Martha Mitchel other than she seemed kind of cool. I know nothing of watergate, know nothing of Nixon, know nothing of the gaslighting. It just seems like nothing and a fast clipshow that went by like I was in a coma.
The footage and sound seemed very impersonal to me. I never really engaged with the footage shown and while the doc clearly has a message and POV it seems so anonymous. The people interviewed are not presented in a way so that I engaged with the doc and I never really knew who was talking and why.
The music used was also overdramatic.
I don't know what to say to a doc like this. It seems like a huge waste of time and potential. It might be interesting what it´s about but it never takes it time to tell me why it´s important. It never takes it time to include people who aren't in the know and it leaves you as one big question mark wanting to know what exactly you just watched. It just ended up being a boring doc with no real outcome. Again, not saying the subject matter isn't important o interesting but I think it was communicated in such a poor way.
Oscar predictions: Short documentary is really not great this year. So far I have not been blown away and I don't see why this would win compared to some of the other nominees. While it has some political integrity, it might be too divisive for the academy and other docs nominated in the category sends a political statement too without it being aimed at American politics. If this wins I would be surprised and feel like other docs nominated deserved it far more, and that says a lot when none of them has blown me away yet.
We hear about Martha Mitchel a cabinet wife that the Nixon government tried to silence and gaslight her.
The documentary really didn't do a good job engaging me in the conflict. It feels more like a sequel or follow-up to a larger work where all the information was presented. I found the doc all over the place and really unfocused in general. I´m not sure what was being presented half the time and the mixing of stories and ideas never blended into a larger meaning. It´s a "then this happened" doc that never engages you.
The unforcedness isn't helped by the length of the doc either. The doc moves so fast, never really delving into any of it´s aspects. It never takes it´s time to explain anything and present anything so it´s understandable what's going on to someone who knows nothing of the subject matter.
I feel like I learned nothing from the doc. I still feel like I know nothing of Martha Mitchel other than she seemed kind of cool. I know nothing of watergate, know nothing of Nixon, know nothing of the gaslighting. It just seems like nothing and a fast clipshow that went by like I was in a coma.
The footage and sound seemed very impersonal to me. I never really engaged with the footage shown and while the doc clearly has a message and POV it seems so anonymous. The people interviewed are not presented in a way so that I engaged with the doc and I never really knew who was talking and why.
The music used was also overdramatic.
I don't know what to say to a doc like this. It seems like a huge waste of time and potential. It might be interesting what it´s about but it never takes it time to tell me why it´s important. It never takes it time to include people who aren't in the know and it leaves you as one big question mark wanting to know what exactly you just watched. It just ended up being a boring doc with no real outcome. Again, not saying the subject matter isn't important o interesting but I think it was communicated in such a poor way.
Oscar predictions: Short documentary is really not great this year. So far I have not been blown away and I don't see why this would win compared to some of the other nominees. While it has some political integrity, it might be too divisive for the academy and other docs nominated in the category sends a political statement too without it being aimed at American politics. If this wins I would be surprised and feel like other docs nominated deserved it far more, and that says a lot when none of them has blown me away yet.