Preview: Phyllis and Harold (2010)

Synopsis:

A scathing, yet loving documentary about the sordied lives of one documentarian's parents.

• Poster: C-

Review:

The purple used at the bottom of the poster in order to bring out the vividness of the mother's outfit is far too bright. The four-image selection at the bottom is every bit as tired as the unnecessarily bold lettering.

• Trailer: B

Review:

To see a child take so drastically to the lives of her family, exposing their darkest secrets takes quite a bit of bravery, but whether the result is a wonderous style of documentary filmmaking or just an exploitation of family tragedy requires a viewing to decide.

Oscar Prospects:

I could see this going over well with the Academy's documentary branch. If the praise listed in the trailer is universally shared, it could be a contender for next year even if it isn't of the political persuasion.

Release Date:

• April 9, 2010

Full Review Synopsis:

I have not seen this film.

-Wesley Lovell (March 21, 2010) Original

-Wesley Lovell (April 25, 2010) New Release Date (changed from 2/19/10)