Cover-Up review – atrocity exposer Seymour Hersh, journalist legend, gets a moment in the spotlight

Hersh’s record on uncovering the big stories, from My Lai to Abu Ghraib, speaks for itself. This documentary watches him at work: dogged, nonconformist and combative Renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh was never played in a film by Robert Redford or Dustin Hoffman, like the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. But as this documentary portrait argues, he’s probably more important than either. Hersh has a longer record of breaking big stories, from the My Lai massacre in Vietnam to torture by US army personnel at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq – the latter a historic scoop underscored by the stomach-turning photos which Hersh brought to light. Hersh is asked if Abu Ghraib would have been the story it was without those pictures and replies: “No pictures, no story.” Well, maybe. But his other scoops had no pictures of this kind. One incidental thing Abu Ghraib showed was how ubiquitous digital photography became at the beginning of the century; how easy it was to take...

The Bilbaos review – soulful study of a tough guy boxer dealing with emotional baggage

Pedro Speroni’s documentary follows Iván Bilbao’s return from prison to a family full of troubles and tenderness

Fresh out of prison after a five-year stint in maximum security, Iván Bilbao comes home to the open arms of his family in Chascomús, a small town two hours south of Buenos Aires. Looking to return to professional boxing, he maintains his muscular physique through rigorous training, all while keeping his old job as a moneylender. Seeing beyond Iván’s criminal past, Pedro Speroni’s soulful documentary reveals the fragility that lies behind his tough-guy facade.

Bearing the marks of his difficult life, Iván’s handsome, weathered face softens when he is with his girlfriend Yamila and her daughter Luz. When the day winds down, laughter fills the house as the three of them share a meal together. At the same time, the emotional baggage of family traumas, along with economic insecurity, also threaten to disrupt Iván’s efforts at rehabilitation. A tender scene where he serenades Yamila is quickly followed by a heated argument in which an angry Iván lashes out at his mother for being unsupportive of his relationships.

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