Subject: NZIFF Review

Perhaps a clarion call aimed at both documentary makers and also voracious audiences that seem to devour the genre thanks to the likes of Netflix, Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall's piece examines the relationship between filmmaker and subject.

But rather than following a direct "What happened next" approach, the film looks at how some are failing their charges and responsibilities in perhaps the same way as reality television makers seem to let go any responsibility once the shows are over.

Latching on to the fact that "documentaries are having a moment," before sharing copious clips from the Netflix catalogue and recent releases, Tiexiera and Hall's film chooses to zero in on the subjects of documentaries whose lives after release haven't gone to plan or have been tainted by the experience.

Following an ethos of exploring what change is potentially needed, the film's wealth of archival footage as well as the mantra of "you owe your audience to tell the truth, you owe your subjects a responsibility", Subject is more interested in positing questions about the format and raising the issues, rather than looking at a wider more regulatory-based resolution.

The result is that everyone seems to be in favour of change, but the industry doesn't seem to know how to implement it - which is perhaps both a worrying trend and also a concerning factor that maybe should have been put in place earlier.

It may be thought-provoking, and revisiting subjects from The Staircase, Capturing the Friedmans, The Wolfpack and The Square certainly brings some form of worry about the state of the industry, but it feels like the thorny issues are raised, but with no real solutions identified from the film world itself, there's a feeling this is unfinished business.

From paying subjects to post-release care, there's much to be discussed here and the ethical consequences of filmmaker decisions are raised clearly and concisely enough. 

But perhaps this is what Subject wants to do - it wants to start the conversation while leaving the resolution to others - though it's a little confused over how that can ultimately start given how the streaming world and the appetite for documentaries shows no sign of slowing.