August documentaries explore death, creativity, the cosmos

OKLAHOMA CITY — Deep in the throes of the superhero summer, it can be easy to forget that the most powerful and affecting film subjects don’t always need to spring from a writer’s imagination or a producer’s box office bets.

Just as the year’s blockbuster season is already sweeping up the grosses, the summer’s documentary slate is also heating up, spotlighting some very real people, projects, and ponderances that are just as outsized and extraordinary as any Hollywood fiction.

Of course, the documentary world is rarely filled with the happiest endings or the simplest subjects in the ways that the superhero fare might be, and this selection of heady, heart-wrenching docs is no exception.

The films here explore the complexities of illness, the mysteries of death, the tragedies of missed potential, and the staggering vastness of the cosmos themselves, all wrapped up in admissions of the limited understanding that we, as humans, can ever hope to have.

So sure, those topics might not sound as fun as a smiling, flying, red-caped super-protector or a space-faring super-family with a stretchy guy and a rock monster, but they make for some vital, life-affirming films.

And we should count ourselves lucky that OKC has some fantastic arthouse theaters willing to present them.

‘Susan’ – Rodeo Cinema – July 31st 

One of the standout documentary selections at this year’s deadCenter Film Festival, and a strikingly powerful subject based right here in Oklahoma, “Susan” examines the emotional aftermath and slow resignation following a world-shattering diagnosis.

Director Russ Kirkpatrick takes us into the life of Susan Suchan, a Tulsa resident originally misdiagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s before receiving the correct diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, a rare degenerative neurological disease that exacts a heavy, tragic toll on the brain’s ability to function.

But Kirkpatrick’s film isn’t just a medical doc examining the disease.

Instead, his camera captured Suchan’s fight to raise awareness and resources for the illness and to reconcile her family life with her understanding and acceptance of her own approaching end, something that she secretly sought to assume control of herself.

It’s a dense and powerful and heartbreaking subject, but it’s a story that needs to be told, if only so that the world might better understand the unique experiences and struggles of these kinds of diseases.

For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit rodeocinema.org.

‘Little, Big, and Far’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – July 31st through August 2nd 

Blurring all the lines between documentary, narrative, and cosmic fantasy, experimental filmmaker Jem Cohen’s “Little, Big, and Far” constructs an imagined framing story in order to explore the quiet curiosities and spirit-shaking questions of life through real-world documentary footage.

The film centers very loosely on an aging astronomer and his search for the tallest, darkest location from which to best see the stars. But Cohen uses that metaphorical setup to consider the personal and even political questions of what forces hold everything together, from the vast celestial bodies of the universe to our own physical bodies and all of the societal systems in between.

It’s rare to see a filmmaker attempt such a complete perspective of the entirety of existence, from the most unknowable astronomical processes of universal space down to the most complex human systems of economic control, but that’s just the type of creative mind that Cohen has.

Throughout, he places a particular emphasis on the remarkable power of museums and their ability to connect our human world to these infinitely complex cosmic questions, described as “places not only of knowledge, but of mourning.”

For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit okcmoa.com.

‘It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley’ – Oklahoma City Museum of Art – August 8th through August 10th 

There have been few figures in the music world that carry as much reverence, tragedy, artistic acclaim, and lingering mystery as the too-young departed Jeff Buckley.

When he left this world suddenly and mysteriously at just 30 years old in 1997, Buckley was already becoming one of the most influential figures in the then-uncertain world of alternative rock, even with only one album to his name: 1994’s incomparably rich and exquisitely performed “Grace.”

That record showcased a deeply emotive songwriting talent and an acrobatically singular vocal skill that sent shockwaves through the nebulous post-grunge American rock community of the mid-90s.

Jeff Buckley no doubt would’ve been among the most important and enduring rock figures of the next decade if he’d not drowned in the Mississippi River in 1997 while working (and re-working) on what would have been his follow-up.

His death – forever unknown as an accident, a suicide, or something more nefarious – surely added to his now legendary status, but it’s entirely the strength of his music and the ineffable power of his voice that have continued to carry influence and inspiration across generations of young, genre-blending songwriters.

And it’s that side of his story that Oscar-nominated documentarian Amy Berg focuses on with “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley,” sidestepping the near-conspiracy fascination with his death and instead employing never-before-seen footage and testimonials to explore his everlasting musical life.

Berg turns her camera to the people that Buckley left behind, the people that genuinely loved him, loved his music, and loved his seemingly inexhaustible spirit, and in the process,  paints a portrait of an artist and a creative mind far beyond his years.

For showtimes, tickets, and more, visit okcmoa.com.

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Catch Brett Fieldcamp’s film column weekly for information and insights into the world of film in the Oklahoma City metro and Oklahoma. | Brought to you by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

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