This may be the best of times and the worst of times for nonfiction filmmaking. For every breakthrough like The Act of Killing, at least a dozen documentaries pass through town that are formless, dry, or so narrowly focused that they alienate all but the sorts of people they depict. Docs at the Box, the Music Box’s first-ever documentary festival, collects 11 new nonfiction films; one hopes they’ll have more in common with Killing than with such recent nonmovies as Somm, which plays like a feature-length reality-TV pilot, and Money for Nothing, which reminded me of a PowerPoint presentation. Some of the films promise formal experimentation: Our Nixon was assembled from home movies shot by former White House aides, whereas Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers makes extensive use of animation. Others trade in star power, looking at Bettie Page, Muhammad Ali, Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna, and talk-show host Morton Downey Jr. —Ben Sachs
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Bettie Page Reveals All The famous pinup model narrates this 2012 feature by Mark Mori; among the other talking heads are Hugh Hefner, Naomi Campbell, and Mamie Van Doren. R, 101 min. Sun 10/6, 3:30 PM, and Tue 10/8, 9:30 PM.
Free the Mind Directed by Phie Ambo, this slight but intriguing documentary looks at recent advances in nonpharmacological treatment of neurological disorders. Ambo follows three people—two veterans of the war in Afghanistan who suffer from PTSD and a preschool boy with ADHD and a crippling fear of elevators—as they work with doctors to overcome their conditions without prescription drugs. A wealth of information is sufficiently articulated, though the film’s greatest strength is Ambo’s compassion toward the subjects. Despite the difficult personal questions she poses, even the most emotionally charged moments feel cathartic rather than exploitative, which is rare for documentaries dealing with mental illness. 75 min. —Drew Hunt Thu 10/10, 7:30 PM.
Shepard & Dark Timing is everything: filmmaker Treva Wurmfeld set out to document the 50-year friendship between playwright Sam Shepard and writer-archivist Johnny Dark, and wound up recording its breakdown. Shepard is a restless traveler and moody drinker, whereas Dark is a mellow stoner who sticks to home. They lived together for over a decade, when Shepard was married to Dark’s stepdaughter, O-Lan, and remained friends even after the playwright left her for Jessica Lange. His relationship with Lange now ended, Shepard is shown living in a motel and angling to sell his and Dark’s massive collection of correspondence, photos, and home movies for a book deal. The stress of their reunion yields fascinating insights into Shepard’s work. —Andrea Gronvall 89 min. Sat 10/5, 4:30 PM; Mon 10/7, 7:30 PM; and Wed 10/9, 5:30 PM.
Fri-Thu 10/4-10/10 Music Box 3733 N. Southport 773-871-6607 musicboxtheatre.com Tickets are $9.25; a festival pass is $40
