Paste Magazine Names Top 20 Documentaries

According to Michael Dunaway of Paste Magazine, the top documentary of the year is a story about two fishermen on an excursion to reconnect with each other.

Low and Clear, directed by and starring Kahlil Hudson and Tyler Hughen,
is a "remarkable film (about) two friends who are world-class fishermen, half a country apart, (who) take a trip to British Columbia to fly fish and reconnect," Dunaway writes. "It is meditative and deeply felt and beautiful, but it’s anything but slow.

"Having two fascinating, outspoken, and often at-odds subjects helps, as does the deft and slightly mischievous touch of editor Alex Jablonski.

"Most of all, Hudson and Hughen seem determined not to settle for a tone poem and tell a real story here. And it’s mesmerizing."

No. 2 on the list is The Imposter, directed by Bart Layton. The film helps uncover a dark mystery.

"Three years after the disappearance of their 13-year-old son, a Texas family receive word he’s been found in Spain," Dunaway writes. "When they go to pick him up, they’re so desperate to believe he's alive that they don’t even notice that the 'boy' is actually a French man in his mid-twenties.

"Is it a monumental case of grief and hope blinding sense, or is there a darker explanation? Layton mixes elements of documentary and narrative filmmaking seamlessly in ways I’ve never seen done before . . . It’s one of the most compelling films you’ll see all year, in any genre."

For the full list, including trailers, visit the Paste website.

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