by Matt McCafferty, Staff Writer

Option Zero (dir. Marcel Beltrán)

Option Zero follows a group of Cuban migrants who are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their freedom in the United States. This path to freedom includes a dangerous trek through the dense Darién Gap, on the border between Colombia and Panama. The film provides a unique perspective by showing us cell phone footage of the migrants. Many of them often went live on social media as a way to share their stories with the world.

Director Marcel Beltrán also captures footage at some of the waiting camps. It’s during this time when you get to know some of them a little better. You come to learn a little more about their hardships and why they are so determined to do whatever it takes to get to a better life. There’s a moment on the path in the Darién Gap when the group comes across a dead body. As a viewer, it’s tough to watch. I can only imagine what it was like for families to come across this on their path. 

There’s no easy solution to help these people. After watching the film, I realized that it was not trying to offer up any answers per say. It’s purpose is to share these stories so that we have a better understanding of just how perilous a journey it is. Even without a clear solution, it leaves you with the undeniable feeling that something needs to change. 

The Art of Making It (dir. Kelcey Edwards)

The Art of Making It follows a diverse group of young artists at defining moments in their careers. Revolving around what it takes to navigate a career in art, the doc explores quite a few ideas throughout its runtime. Some of it works as a love letter to artists, while some of it questions today’s landscape of the art world. The film’s description calls it a “culture in crisis.” I’m not sure if I would define it as a crisis, but there are definitely ongoing changes within this field that make this a difficult career to succeed in.

There are a few sections of this that are relatable, especially when they talk about student debt and the status of what college means today. However, this doc was created for those who are trying to make it as artists within this specific industry. It talks a bit about the impact of digital art and social media. It also goes into some of the shady dealings that take place behind the scenes and some of the controversies that have occured. These are all issues that I understand, but again, it just doesn’t carry as much weight for those outside of this world.  

It’s still an interesting watch no matter what your position. It’s plenty informative about the challenges of being an artist today. But again, this doc feels like it’s mostly speaking to a specific group of people with its messages. 

Kevin Garnett: Anything is Possible (dir. Daniel B. Levin & Eric Newman)

If you are looking for a quick overview of Kevin Garnett’s career, this doc covers that well enough. However, if you are looking for more of the little behind-the-scenes stories of his life and career, you won’t get nearly enough of those. Garnett has the kind of outgoing personality that makes him a lot of fun to listen to. In fact, the cuts of Garnett telling stories for the doc are the best moments in the film. 

Garnett was one of the first players to come straight out of high school and into the NBA. This move set the stage for other players to do the same, such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to name a couple. His drive to become an NBA champion is pretty inspirational. He hung a framed Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy poster in his room so that he could look at it every day when he woke up. He envisioned himself winning the trophy someday. And well, it worked. Seeing him get there eventually with the Celtics is a pretty cool moment. That moment of triumph of course led to his now famous “Anything is Possible!” quote. 

As a casual fan of Garnett over the years, I mostly enjoyed this film as a reminder of what he did in his career. He also seems like a pretty decent guy, but again, there’s not much here in terms of his personal life to make this film more interesting. It really is a basketball-centric documentary. Reading through his stats and accomplishments online will also provide you with a lot of the same information that you get here.