This piece was written by Sir Simon Milligan

I have a love/hate relationship with documentaries. I tend to be drawn to the ones that investigate causes and injustices that I feel strongly about, so even when these films are made by people with similar value systems as mine (like Michael Moore), I usually end up getting riled up. This is fine when those feelings motivate me to positive action, but it’s also probably not good for my blood pressure in the long run.

That’s why my choice for this prompt is a bit more on the kinder, gentler side: Won’t You Be My Neighbor, the 2018 documentary about Fred Rogers aka “Mr. Rogers”. I was aware of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child but didn’t remember much from it. Timing is a huge reason this film had an impact on me – it came out when there was a real empathy shortage in the world in my opinion, and this documentary showed there were still people out there for who held up compassion and kindness as virtues. Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was extremely influential in raising a generation of people who would fight the good fight, instilling them with values very similar to my own.

Prompt: What’s your favorite documentary?

Bonus prompt: What’s your favorite mockumentary? For this one, I’m going with Hard Core Logo, which follows the eponymous fictional punk band over one final Canadian tour. Inspired by bands like D.O.A. and featuring songs with titles like Edmonton Block Heater, this is one aggressively Canadian film.