As one colleague put it, “it’s a good day to see a movie”. That pretty much describes the general ambiance of the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Festival, now in its 11th year. What with sleepy Durham, North Carolina and those sumptious rainshowers to contend with, every day does indeed seem like a wonderful opportunity to stay indoors and watch a compelling documentary. And the program is full of them - about 20 or so a day; I’ve had a hard time picking and choosing which ones to see because they’re all so great and scheduled closely together (with no repeat showings!). First up for me was BOMB IT, which was so much fun. It’s about “global graffiti” and street art. As a native New Yorker witnessing the transformation of my hometown into a playpen for American-Apparel-clad clones running on trust fund-operated batteries, I support any brand of resistance, especially when it’s coming from the street. I actually remember seeing a few of the New York writers featured, whose work may or may not benefit from any media coverage (’Revok’ scrawled all over the 7 train, and on the sides of brick buildings throughout Brooklyn and Queens is a distinct memory). And the soundtrack of the film is excellent, mirroring the film’s graffiti tour around the globe. The Iranian transsexual doc, BE LIKE OTHERS, didn’t delve as deep into the issues presented as I would have liked, but I’m glad they were at least touched upon. Because homosexuality is punishable by death, most men who love men or are engaged in sexual relations with them must undergo a sex change operation in order to have their “rights” recognized - though the fact that women in that society have anything resembling rights is questionable. The fact that each of the men in the film replied “no” after being asked post-op if they would have undergone the surgery had they been able to live freely is telling - so I’m perplexed that the elephant in the room - that these men were gay- was not addressed. The doc definitely did raise more questions than it answered. Leave it to director Margaret Brown’s talent to drape a film about black and white tensions in a coat of rainbow pearls, feathers, lace, and masks.THE ORDER OF MYTHS, about a racially segregated Mardi Gras celebration, was wonderful in its ability to point out the painfully obvious about race relations in the South, while still keeping the delicate grace that allows you some room for hope. There’s an incredible scene in the film where the African-American queen of her chapter wonders if it’s possible the white Mardi Gras delegation would ever do more than stop by their event for symbolic hellos and goodbyes. She teeters on the edge of that question politely, eloquently, but ultimately, sadly - and so does the rest of the country. I closed the festival with a repeat screening of MAN ON WIRE, which I had seen at Sundance earlier in the year. As I described to director James Marsh at an afterparty, watching this film is like being whisked onto a dancefloor by a mysterious stranger. You experience a perception-altering waltz that is over before it begins, and then you’re left, in awe, wondering what just happened - and wanting to do it again. See these films.