BRIDGET MORRISON

After first term and finals, many students find that all they want to do for winter break is relax — trust me, I’m one of them. Luckily, there is one easy way to keep your mind from turning to mush while slumping around, and that is to watch documentaries. Here are a few to get you started!

The first documentary I recommend is Citizenfour. Released in 2014 and directed by Laura Poitras, the film follows Edward Snowden and the United States National Security Agency spying scandal. To make a long story short, Edward Snowden is a computer genius who formerly worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and the NSA before going rogue.

In 2013, Snowden turned over thousands of classified NSA and Government Communications Headquarters documents to a number of journalists, revealing numerous global surveillance programs and private information. Citizenfour won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2015. This is a must watch. Find it on DVD or rent a digital copy through ITunes.

Next, I recommend the Israeli war documentary, Waltz With Bashir. Directed by Ari Forman, Waltz With Bashir differs from most other documentaries in a very unique way: it is animated. Released in 2008, the film follows Forman interviewing fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Through these interviews, Forman attempts to reconstruct his memories of the war and deal with the emotions that arise with recalling these events. While watching this documentary, think about the significance of the animation and spend some time in reflection. An interesting fact about this documentary is that it is banned in Lebanon. Waltz With Bashir is available on DVD and on ITunes.

My third recommendation is Jiro Dreams of Sushi. This documentary was released in 2011 and was directed by David Gelb. The film follows Jiro Ono, who at the time of filming was 85. He is a sushi master and the owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Tokyo. If you are a lover of sushi, this is a must.

The film also covers his two sons, both of whom are also sushi chefs. The main focus is their professional lives, mentioning very little of their personal lives and leaving the viewer wondering. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is available on Netflix.

Number four on the list is Living on One Dollar. This is an American documentary that was released in 2013. The full cast and crew are mostly just the four men that the story follows: Ryan Christofferson, Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard and Chris Temple.

The film follows these four friends as they live on just $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. Along the way, they meet Rosa and Chino, who help them and give them hope as they battle hunger and parasites. Living on One Dollar is available on Netflix.

My final recommendation isn’t a film — it’s a TV series called Departures. This is a Canadian show that follows two old high school friends, Scott Wilson and Justin Lucack, as they travel around the world. There are three seasons of the show so far.

Not only do you get to vicariously explore the world while watching this series, you get to do it alongside these two dorky friends. This show may not be as intellectually stimulating at the other documentaries listed, but it certainly is fun to watch. You can find Departures on Netflix.

These are only a few of the many great documentaries out there, but it’s definitely a start. You won’t even notice that you’re giving your brain a little exercise. So cozy up this break and start watching! Happy learning!