This documentary follows the celebrated Italian film composer Ennio Morricone, whose soundtracks for 1960s and ’70s spaghetti westerns, political dramas, gialli, and, later on, American melodramas and action films often rivaled or outshone the movies themselves. Ennio contains detailed interviews with the composer (Morricone died in 2020) on some of the 400 soundtracks he produced throughout his lifetime. The film also includes a who’s who of filmmakers and musicians, including Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Springsteen, Quincy Jones, and Clint Eastwood, who share their thoughts on or memories of Morricone. — Erik Morse
How to watch: Stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, or YouTube.
Exergue – on documenta 14 (February 16)
This 14-hour vérité-style documentary by Dimitris Athiridis embeds with the planners of the controversial 2017 edition of Documenta, the world’s most prestigious art exhibition held every five years in the German city of Kassel. It tracks artistic director Adam Szymczyk and his team across two febrile years as they figure out how to pull off an ambitious dual exhibition, in Kassel and Athens, all while struggling with issues of legacy, colonialism, and, ultimately, funding—as most art institutions are these days. But it reflects ideas far beyond the cloistered art world and is sure to resonate with anyone who’s ever been involved in putting on a big, public event with many opinionated collaborators. (The scene where they force themselves to slash 600,000 euros from various projects is as thrilling as a car chase.) This demands to be seen in its entirety, and I truly hope audiences will get the chance to dissect and discuss this absorbing, important work (already neatly divided into hour-ish segments perfect for TV or streaming). — Lisa Wong Macabasco
