Like many places in the United States and around the world, Oakland, CA, has been rapidly gentrifying. Spencer Wilkinson’s documentary follows a community’s resistance, centered on a group of huge murals that were painted in 2014 and 2015. The colorful murals were a point of pride to many locals, but developers and city planners had other ideas for them. Oakland has a rich history of activism, and its citizens took to the street to protest. The best parts of the film show community members banding together to resist large-scale changes by outside forces. VERDICT Those interested in the intersection of art and activism will want to tune in to this optimistic documentary.

 

Widely considered one of the best short story writers of all time, Flannery O’Connor (1925–64) receives a very solid profile from PBS’s American Masters series. The film digs into the complex layers of her life and work, illustrating how O’Connor, who died at 39, was both lauded and misunderstood when she was alive—much like how she is viewed now. Directors Elizabeth Coffman anxd Mark Bosco adeptly show how O’Connor’s Catholicism, Southernness, and chronic illness influenced her work. The documentary doesn’t shy away from discussions of racism, religion, and socioeconomic disparity as they relate to her work. VERDICT A vividly detailed account of a complicated, beloved American writer.

 

The opening scene of Mary Wharton’s documentary has a smiling Carter dropping the needle on a Bob Dylan record. What follows is a who’s who of the artists Carter befriended across his political career and the surprising relationships that developed. Carter, a fan of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians including Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, and Bob Dylan, who frequently visited the Carter White House. This examination of a lesser-known aspect of the president will put a smile on viewers’ faces, as music by legendary performers across all genres streams by. VERDICT Learn to appreciate a whole new side of Jimmy Carter in this joyous celebration of music and decency in politics.