Brewmance (2021)
3.5/4
One of my favourite memories that I have of growing up is going to the Royal British Columbia Museum to see the newest documentary that the IMAX theatre was showing. Whether it was a documentary on rocks or dinosaurs or volcanoes, I’ve always been intrigued by the power that good documentary filmmaking holds. It has the power to spark interest in its ideas, and that’s precisely what Christo Brock’s insightful new documentary Brewmance pulls off.
Brewmance is an interesting new look at the culture of home brewing. One of the major things that I liked about this documentary is the way that it presents its subject matter. By telling the film’s story through the eyes of professional brewers who have spent years preserving the legacy of home-brewed beer, Brooks manages to make a documentary than even someone who doesn’t like beer is able to find some level of interest in, and that’s an amazing feat for a documentary.
All of the film’s well-chosen interviewees are integrated very well into the documentary. One of my favourite parts is when writer Charlie Papazian talked about how making beer requires putting all of yourself into it. That part really resonated with me, because, as a writer, I’m also required to put a lot of myself into my work, and I know that every time I do that, I find that really does make a difference in the quality of my work.
As far as criticisms go for this film, it’s missing an important purpose. I think that any documentary that’s made today should not only have to provide its audience a good and educational experience, but also provide a reason why it was made. Take Davis Guggenheim’s insightful An Inconvenient Truth, for example. Its purpose is very clear: to educate people on climate change through the thoughts and ideas of American senator Al Gore.
The only purpose I could find in Brewmance is that of educating people on how to make beer. That may have been all fine and dandy in a normal year, but in these COVID times, where people are gravitating toward documentaries that are more about important current issues such as climate change, systemic racism, and governments in conflict, I fear there may not be an adequate place for it in today’s movie landscape.
Still, while its lack of an urgent purpose may, sadly, keep it from shoring to the heights of truly great filmmaking, the film is really good. People who are interested in becoming a home brewer will find inspiration in it and the average viewer will get great enjoyment out of it.