A few more documentaries worth celebrating

Several fine documentaries in 2023 also deserve mention. “It Ain’t Over” made my top-10 list, but here are a few more worth celebrating.

“Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros”

Frederick Wiseman’s look at the day-to-day operations of Le Bois sans Feuilles, a Michelin three-star French restaurant that’s been operating for decades in Roanne, France, would make a great double feature with “The Taste of Things.” Both films linger on complex, delicious meals being prepared and eaten. Granted, Wiseman’s documentary is four hours long, but it’s worth a lazy afternoon in the theater this January.

“Sly”

Imagine Rocky Balboa from 1976’s “Rocky” narrating his own life story, and you have an idea of Thom Zimny’s surprisingly touching and introspective look at Sylvester Stallone. I thought listening to Sly for 95 minutes might be torture; instead, I was moved by his vulnerability.

“Every Body”

A master class in how a documentary should be made. Julie Cohen’s film about intersex people moves briskly, packs a lot of useful and important information into a short runtime, and lets its subjects tell their stories unimpeded by gimmicks. Even when resorting to occasional needle drops, “Every Body” is never cloying or obnoxious. And unlike so many films about LGBTQIA+ people, it focuses more on joy than misery.

“Bill Russell: Legend”

Sam Pollard’s documentary about Celtics legend Bill Russell is as unflinchingly honest and raw as Russell himself. As with all his films, Pollard rigorously interrogates how race factors into the American experience; we spend as much time off the court witnessing Russell’s struggles with racism, and his activism, as we do watching him lead Boston’s basketball team to glory.