Reacting to Re-Enactment: Which Toronto Documentaries Use The Controversial Technique Well − Which Don't

Just a couple of days into the Toronto International Film Festival this year,  a curious commonality was noticeable in a number of the documentaries that I screened - re-enactments. While I only managed to see just under half of the nearly 50 documentary features in the TIFF line-up, it  was surprising to see the storytelling approach — where significant past events are recreated via actors and, sometimes, animation — relatively widely employed. While some notable non-fiction films have made effective use of the practice — such as The Imposter or The Thin Blue Line — re-enactments more often feel in line with television productions of the Unsolved Mysteries variety.  They remain a controversial element of documentary making, potentially challenging a film's authenticity by introducing an outside, fictional element. more »