Documentary and the pursuit of truth

Abstract

Developed as a genre in the 1920s, documentary film has long been considered a bastion for truth and knowledge. With this assumed integrity, however, came an enduring discourse on the deeper complexities of truth and the authorial power of the documentarian. As poststructuralist theory states it is impossible to recognize a universal truth. While it has long been understood that objectivity in documentary is impossible, I argue that documentary can be used instead to understand people. Comparing 'Grey Gardens', 'Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer', and 'Behind the Curve', I analyze the historical context of each film, as well as the subjective techniques utilized to avow the documentarian's construct framing each documentary experience. I apply similar techniques to my documentary, 'Bigfoot and the Citizen Scientist' and further argue that truth is subjective and often murky, and therefore, our documentaries should reflect that.