Documentaries shockumentaries

I saw two documentaries last night - one was Rani Hindustani, directed by Priti Chandriani. Rani Hindustani is the story of a woman, who had a terrible childhood and later on a marriage that was a sham. Comprising of a series of interviews with Poonam (the central character) and re-enactment of some incidents in her life, it detailed how she broke free from her marriage and set out to live life on her own rules and in her own way. She became a truck driver, had an illegitimate child and in all, set an example for others. Quite a moving documentary it was, but what really put me off was the director's attitude at the Q and A session, it seemed as if she didnt really care much of the subject and made the movie to create waves. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

The second documentary that followed in quick succession was Disbelief, which revolved around the bomb blast in apartments in Russia in 1999, and raised a legitimate question whether it was actually a conspiracy by the Russian government or the work of Chechen rebels. A story of two sisters, one who survived the blast, it was chilling and at the same time emotional. Perhaps dealing with terrorism and government conspiracies in our countries made the documentary strike a chord in the audience. However, I felt the end dragged on for quite a bit, the director could have easily chopped off a good 15 minutes to make a greater impact on the viewer. Nevertheless, it was quite a change to see something from Russia, I personally am quite sick and tired of watching movies and documentaries that revolve around certain themes.