10: The Realness

Letterboxd’s editor in chief Gemma Gracewood and lists editor Jack Moulton discuss their favorite docs of 2020 so far. Letterboxd members call in with their own top-doc picks, and we’re joined by Eli Despres and Elyse Steinberg, two-thirds of the directing team behind The Fight, which follows ACLU lawyers as they argue for major social justice issues including trans rights in the military and abortion access. Elyse also reveals she once acted in a Todd Haynes film. (We’ve kept in interruptions by children for pandemic documentary realness!)

Films and lists mentioned:

• Official Letterboxd Top 100 Documentaries
• Welcome to Chechnya
• For Sama
• Boys State
• Disclosure
• Crip Cramp: A Disability Revolution
• Mucho Mucho Amor
• The Painter and the Thief
• Coronation
• The documentaries of Agnès Varda
• He Dreams of Giants
• The Ghost of Peter Sellers
• Father Soldier Son
• Making a Murder (and Knives Out)
• The Last Dance
• Showbiz Kids
• Miss Americana

The Fight directors:

• The Fight
• Weiner
• Crumb
• American Movie
• The Oath
• How to Survive a Plague
• A Few Good Men
• Poison
• Heavenly Creatures
• It Might Get Loud

Fantasia Fest:

• You Cannot Kill David Arquette
• Feels Good Man

This episode was recorded in Los Angeles, New York and Auckland and edited by Morgan Avery. Podcast artwork by Ann Davenport. Theme music: ‘Hitchcock’ by The Phoenix Foundation (their new single ‘Landline’ is out now). Our next episode features Irish animator Tomm Moore. To be in to win a Pro membership, leave us a voice message about your favorite animated film of all time.