Chained for Life attacks traditional notions of what’s “normal” or “pleasant.”

Bedatri D. Choudhury
Bedatri studied Literature and Cinema in New Delhi and New York, and loves writing on gender, popular culture, films, and most other things. She lives in New York, where she eats cake, binge watches reruns of old TV shows, and makes notes about strangers she meets on the subway. You can give her a holler on Twitter @Bedatri.
A Disturbing Reckoning With China’s One-Child Policy
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s new documentary One Child Nation unpacks the history and brutal effects of a policy that dominated a population.
How New York Let the Bronx Burn, and How the Borough Survived
The documentary Decade of Fire delves into the wave of arsons that wracked the Bronx in the 1970s.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Dream to Walk on Water
A new documentary reveals the passion and labor that went into creating artworks that look too fantastical to be true.
In 3 Faces, Three Generations of Iranian Actresses Grapple with Oppression
Iranian director Jafar Panahi has violated his 20-year government-imposed filmmaking ban to make a powerful feature about Iranian women’s relationships to art and labor.
Taking the Highway to Freedom with a Green Book
The documentary is a travelogue that embarks on a journey through present-day America, using the Green Book as its guide.
Miami Told Through Old Photographs and Lost Stories
Screening in New York for the holidays, a new film draws on photos Gary Monroe and Andy Sweet took as a part of the Miami Beach Photographic Project through the 1970s and into the early 80s.
The Underrecognized History of Indian Artists in Paris
France’s role in Western modernism is well-trodden art historical territory. Less well-known, but equally significant, is the impact French art movements had on modern Indian artists.
Three New Documentaries Chronicle the Careers of Game-Changing New York Artists
At Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary film festival, directors examine the lives and works of artists Barbara Rubin, Jay Maisel, and Christo.
To Infinity and Beyond, Yayoi Kusama Grapples With Conventions
A new film tells the story of Yayoi Kusama’s reckoning with her own demons and those of the artworld.
A New Biopic About Nico, Warhol’s “It” Girl and Velvet Underground Singer
In a new biopic, Nico, 1988, director Susanna Nicchiarelli documents the tumultuous final years of The Velvet Underground’s Nico.
A Film Digs Beneath the Dandy Persona of Cecil Beaton
A new film explores the visual legacy of Cecil Beaton, who was inspired by a range of art movements and carefully curated scenes that throbbed with sensuality, drama, and romance.