Jessica Vale’s Small Small Thing (2013) portrays the complex picture of rape in Liberia through the harrowing story of Olivia Zinnah, who was raped at age 7 by a family member and who developed a horrible fistula as a result. Vale skillfully balances this delicate story against the troubled history and war-ravaged society of Liberia….
Tag: voiceover
‘The Cummington Story’ Tells Story of Refugees and Their New Community
In researching documentary history, I look for mentions of women who have contributed to the developments and growth of the form. One name I found was Helen Grayson, who co-directed The Cummington Story with Larry Madison in 1945. The Cummington Story is a short about the integration of World War II refugees into a town called…
Excess Voiceover Overwhelms ‘Tell Me and I Will Forget’
While Justin Salerian’s Tell Me and I Will Forget offers an interesting look at South Africa, the 2010 documentary suffers from the burden of too much voiceover narration. Tell Me and I Will Forget attempts to show South Africa through the eyes of emergency workers employed by both public and private companies. The picture reveals a depth…