Documentary films have always been something of an afterthought at Cannes. While the contours of nonfiction, thanks to the efforts of festivals such as Doclisboa, CPH:DOX, True/False, and Lincoln Center’s Art of the Real, have been expanded and enriched in recent years, Cannes continues to adhere to its own hopelessly conventional criteria for selecting documentaries out of competition in the Official Selection—whether they turn out to be exceptional, mediocre, or execrable. For example, in 2017, Cannes’ documentary roster included films directed by celebrities (Vanessa Redgrave), anointed auteurs (Claude Lanzmann, Raymond Depardon, Agnes Varda), and the odd Sundance favourite (Eugene Jarecki).
To start at the bottom of the barrel, Redgrave’s Sea Sorrow, a film that would never have been screened if the director happened to be named Valerie Pinkgrave, is an…