City Hall (2020) is a documentary about the Boston mayor's office, directed by Frederick Wiseman. It follows Mayor Marty Walsh through his many meetings and conferences, and then shows us much, much more.
Be advised--this is a 4 1/2 hour movie. We watched it at home over three evenings. Every scene is so interesting that it's not a movie that you want to fast forward. If you're not up for a long, long binge, watch it in two or three parts, as we did.
Mayor Walsh is the "star" of the documentary, but Wiseman has shown us many other people carrying out meetings and activities that we don't even think about when we hear "City Hall." These include zoning, animal care, and the city's help line.
Wiseman is a genius, and any documentary he's directed is worth seeing. I think City Hall is one of the great ones. The movie has a solid 7.4 IMDb rating, but I thought it was even better than that, and rated it 10.
P.S. As I write this review, Mayor Walsh has been nominated by President Biden for Secretary of Labor. His confirmation is in progress. I assume he won't be Mayor of Boston for many more days. This makes the movie even more compelling.
Be advised--this is a 4 1/2 hour movie. We watched it at home over three evenings. Every scene is so interesting that it's not a movie that you want to fast forward. If you're not up for a long, long binge, watch it in two or three parts, as we did.
Mayor Walsh is the "star" of the documentary, but Wiseman has shown us many other people carrying out meetings and activities that we don't even think about when we hear "City Hall." These include zoning, animal care, and the city's help line.
Wiseman is a genius, and any documentary he's directed is worth seeing. I think City Hall is one of the great ones. The movie has a solid 7.4 IMDb rating, but I thought it was even better than that, and rated it 10.
P.S. As I write this review, Mayor Walsh has been nominated by President Biden for Secretary of Labor. His confirmation is in progress. I assume he won't be Mayor of Boston for many more days. This makes the movie even more compelling.