Aren't Documentaries Supposed To Be Accurate?

 

This past week I've watched two (actually, three) interesting documentaries on Netflix. One is about twins, the other, Led Zeppelin.

I wasn't a fan of the Led back in the day. Apparently, I'm a Gen Jones, so I was too young to appreciate their music. It wasn't until I heard Robert Plant sing with Allison Krauss years later and thought, "Damn, that guy can actually sing " that I really started to listen to Led Zeppelin. I'm still not crazy about them. Except for Planet's exceptional range, the lyrics are basic, the guitar playing, ok. 

So, I watched the three living band members speak fondly of their early days. They all smiled when they heard the voice of their drummer, John Bonham, in a long ago interview. Gee, what lovely men. They all look kind and grandfatherly now.

Good on them.

So then I watched the twins, and it wasn't a happy time. The story begins when Alex, who is eighteen when he crashes his motorcycle. He wakes up in a hospital with his twin brother, Marcus, by his side. There is a strange woman who is also in the room. He doesn't remember she is his mother. Alex doesn't remember anything except his brother. So, brother Marcus fills him in on their lovely childhood where they took yearly vacations and had good times with the 'rents. Alex accepts it all but is confused as to why the two young men sleep in a shed away from the very large house. Marcus can't explain why they are allowed access to only a few rooms in the house and when their cold and distant father comes to them, telling them he is dying and asks for their forgiveness, Alex obliges. Marcus tells him he will never forgive him, and walks away. Days later, the father dies. It isn't until Mommy dies, Alex finally learns the truth. His brother has been lying to him for fourteen years about what really happened in their childhood. 

SPOILER ALERT! Go away now if you don't want to know the reveal.

It seems Mommy was a pedophile. She abused both boys, then passed them on to her "friends" so they could also rape them. After Mommy had died, the twins started cleaning out the house. They came across a picture of two naked boys with the top of the picture cut, theoretically decapitating them. Alex wanted answers. Marcus refused. It wasn't until they were in their fifties Marcus finally told Alex the truth. He said he wanted to spare him of having those thoughts as his memories, so he made it up. They never went on vacations together, never did family adventures. 

It's a sad story, but I always got the feeling Alex really knew the truth. 

Now, here's where I get angry. Both documentaries are bogus. Naturally, when I become interested in a subject I roam further and lo and behold, there's more, so much more!

Whilst watching the Led lads reminisce, the subject of drugs and groupies is never mentioned. Laws, they were deep into both, so much so, that I find the documentary a fooking joke. Jimmy Page seemed like a sweet old man who had a lovely life. I guess he did if you like heroin and orgies with very young ladies. Page apparently once said about the groupies, "the younger, the better." So, smiling Grandpa is a pedophile and has ingested so much drugs it's a wonder he is alive.

Robert Plant was one hot, sexy man who aged terribly. He was married when the band took off and although I haven't read much about his sexual forays I can only imagine. I don't have to imagine he was messing around with his wife's sister and had a child with her. Yikes. 

If you're a Led Zeppelin fan you already know the fate of John Bonham who drank so much throughout the day, he eventually passed out, then choked on his own vomit and died. Lovely lads.

But, none of that is in the documentary. This was the Brady Bunch version.

Then, I looked into the twins lives a little further. The makers of the documentary failed to mention there were two other children living in the home, one a much younger half brother who had also been abused. He is heartbroken and angry with the twins for abandoning him to let him suffer alone. 

I thought documentaries are supposed to be detailed and honest portrayals based on facts. Witholding certain facts to me is the same as lying. It's such bullshit to take one part of one's life without giving the complete picture. Shame on you for misleading the audience, you documentary liars.

I did see one more documentary, the one about Stockton Rush and the horrible events of the Titan. I'm sure much was left out. The blame was placed squarely on Rush. It's a case of, "We were following orders." It's still interesting to watch. The only searching I did afterwards was to see what the actual cost to build the Titan had been. They must have spent close to a billion dollars to make this dream a reality. Apparently, the total cost to create the  physical sub was $350,000 - less than what most houses cost these days. That's incredible. If the people who had paid to climb inside this death trap had known that I would think they would have had second thoughts. One interesting moment in the film is when they are discussing getting around the sub being thoroughly inspected and certified, Rush confidently notes he merely has to buy off a congressman to pass inspection. Yeah, that was one of the most honest statements made in a documentary.

*AI generated image using Freepik. Yikes. 

** 'Becoming Led Zeppelin.' 'Tell Me Who I Am.' 'Titan: The Oceangate Disaster.' All on Netflix.