In the mood to dive into something new? Don't miss this week's lineup of documentaries showing on the big screen in and around Denver.
Read on for the top-ranked documentary films to catch in theaters, based on critical scores sourced from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. (Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango.)
Communion
When adults are ineffectual, children have to grow up quickly. Ola is 14 and she takes care of her dysfunctional father, autistic brother and a mother who lives separately; but most of all she tries to reunite the family. She lives in the hope of bringing her mother back home. Her 13-year-old brother Nikodem's Holy Communion is a pretext for the family to meet up. Ola is entirely responsible for preparing the perfect family celebration. "Communion" reveals the beauty of the rejected, the strength of the weak and the need for change when change seems impossible. This crash course in growing up teaches us that no failure is final. Especially when love is in question.
Boasting a critical approval rating of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Communion" is a critics' darling.
Catch a screening at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Friday, Jan. 11. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred's ideal of good neighbors?
Boasting a 98 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" has proven to be a must-watch since its release on June 29. The site's critical consensus notes that "'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' takes a fittingly patient and honest look at the life and legacy of a television pioneer whose work has enriched generations."
See for yourself at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Dark Money
'Dark money' contributions, made possible by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, flood modern American elections—but Montana is showing Washington D.C. how to solve the problem of unlimited anonymous money in politics.
With a 95 percent critical approval rating and an audience score of 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Dark Money" has garnered plenty of praise since its release on July 13. The site's critical consensus has it that "'Dark Money' does an impressive job of tackling a complicated subject in easily understandable — and, for many viewers, utterly enraging — terms."
You can catch it at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake (4255 W. Colfax Ave.) on Saturday, Jan. 12. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
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