When the majority of people are asked for their opinions on the topic of ‘best film directors’, a usual set of names are mentioned. While individuals will naturally have personal and less predictable choices, there is a good chance that at least one of their suggestions will be from a set of list of collectively-decided greats: Kubrick, Hitchcock, Scorsese and the like.

These and many more are film-makers who will stand the test of time – people whose work has afforded them the right to be named an all-time maestro. The validity of such steadfast nominations is perhaps up for debate, but for as long as such preconceptions exist there is a man who deserves his name among these untouchable masters: the documentary film-maker Alex Gibney.

Master Of Exposure

Throughout a long and acclaimed career that has covered numerous and endlessly fascinating topics, Gibney has always explored one key theme: corruption. From the financial fix-ups exposed in Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room to the years of deceit dug up during The Armstrong Lie, his films always delve deep to discover the dark truths behind the high-profile cases that he investigates. The genius of Gibney, though, is that his work is never ‘just’ about hidden truths and evidence of corruption – these revelations are just the starting the point. What makes his films so special is that the explorations of corruption intertwine with emotive, compelling and informed narratives that feature profound philosophical and political questions as well as dedicated screen-time to the people affected by or responsible for the various crises he explores.

Take for instance his exploration of Catholic sex abuse in Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God. After years of reports and growing evidence regarding horrific abuse by priests and subsequent cover-ups by the Church hierarchy, it was hard to think how this film could make a telling contribution to this already well-documented catastrophe. However, what Gibney ends up delivering is truly extraordinary film, arguably his best ever, that balances a comprehensive exploration of a corruption trail with the deeply moving personal story of four deaf men who are hunting for justice after years of sickening abuse as children.

More than just being a remarkable film, Mea Maxima Culpa provides a vital and original angle into its subject matter in two distinctive ways. Firstly, it places the victims at the heart of the story: the shocking discovery of institutionalised protection of paedophilic priests are never allowed to overshadow the core evil of innocent children being tortured and unable to communicate their pain to the wider world. Secondly, he softly yet decisively brings out a theological debate – whether or not religious faith remains in the minds and hearts of both abuser and victim. His delicate directorial touch brings out these profound moments without ever taking away from the people who are deservedly at the heart of this picture.

Gibney’s lightness of touch can be seen again most effectively in perhaps his best known film Taxi to the Dark Side. At its core, it is a documentary about the wrongful torture and killing of an Afghan taxi driver at the hands of US troops serving at Bagram Air Base in 2002. However, it becomes a comprehensive analysis of the War on Terror and the morality of war. By talking to both opponent and advocate, it discusses the role of political, social and military pressure in desensitising both American troops and large sections of the public to the horror of torture. It manages to do this – to cut with startling clarify into the psyche behind the use and support for torture – without once, like in Mea Maxima Culpa, ignoring the individual human pain and rage that beats at the very centre of this issue. This ability to balance the widely profound with the deeply personal is consistently sublime. More than that, it is delivered with an unwavering clarity and precision that, as we will see, sets him apart from most other film-makers who seek to deliver a ‘truth’.

A Stickler for Detail

Regrettably, the works of Gibney have stayed relatively low on the public radar. Instead, the name that springs to most people’s minds when asked about great documentary film-makers is the brash figure of Michael Moore. His films have covered similar topics but it is his that have gained the most attention, generated the most controversy and earned the most at the box office. However, a closer inspection shows the key difference between these two directors – a difference that elevates Gibney far above his more lucrative contemporary.

In Moore’s films, he places two things at the heart of what he is trying to say: sensationalist set-pieces…and himself. From trying to get politicians to enlist their children into the army to sweeping statements about conspiracy theory and ‘the government’, Moore likes nothing more than to be provocative. The problem that can arise – a problem that undermine’s virtually all of Moore’s past work – is that the desire to provoke becomes the priority. Rather than focusing on the subject, his films become vanity projects where he is the real attraction. This is what sets Gibney apart.

Gibney‘s films manage to be just as provocative, possibly more so, but without ever descending into emotional manipulation and grandstanding. In this respect, his films feel like journalistic investigations rather than hammy drama and that is completely to their credit. Where others use hyperbole, Gibney uses hard evidence – sound clips, photographs and scanned documents – that deliver more drama than any amount of grandstanding, because they ring of objective, rather than subjective, truth. Even in films where his personal presence is significant, particularly The Armstrong Lie, he never allows himself to take centre stage and he lets the facts speak for themselves.

Ultimately, it is this lack of ego that makes him extraordinary. In an industry full of ‘stars’, Gibney shines brightest for the fact that he lets his work, and not himself, always take centre stage. He provokes, he informs and he infuriates across a huge range of genres and subject matters without once putting himself before the people behind the stories he tells. The end result is a filmography containing not just some of the best documentaries of recent times, but some of the best motion pictures. His films transcend their genre by delivering cinematic scope and meticulous, fact-based information in equal measure. They are as grand as any epic and as moving as any drama while informing and intriguing the whole time. In terms of delivering the complete cinematic experience, Gibney is unmatched.

What do you think of Alex Gibney’s work, which is your favorite documentary? If you haven’t seen any of his work, are you intrigued by the above?

(top image source: Alex Gibney – The Hollywood Reporter)