S1.E2 ∙ Reality check

An evil drow-elf is displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A sanitation worker lures friends into a Sphere of Annihilation. A failed supervillain starts a cable access show involving ninjas, puppets, and a cooking segment. These are the characters, real and imagined, of The Dungeon Masters: Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, two men and one woman devote their lives to Dungeons and Dragons, the storied role-playing game, and its various descendants. As their baroque fantasies clash with mundane real lives, the characters find it increasingly difficult to allay their fear, loneliness, and disappointment with the game's imaginary triumphs. Soon the true heroic act of each character's real life emerges, and the film follows each as he or she summons the courage to face it. Along the way, The Dungeon Masters reimagines the tropes of classic heroic cinema, creating an intimate portrait of minor struggles and triumphs writ large.

What does it mean to be oneself? What is a price to be paid for achieving such a state?

This is the story of Val and Clare: a mother and a daughter. After the tragic death of her eldest daughter, Val left her kids and family behind and escaped into the Colombian jungle in order to search for her identity. Clare was only 11 years old when her mother left and couldn't understand what she was looking for. A son who became an addict, three break-ups and a fractured family remained behind. Now Clare is pregnant and decides to confront her mother, heal the wounds of the past and try to define motherhood on her own terms. Together they go on an intimate journey exploring the boundaries between responsibility and freedom, the power of love and the meaning of family.

We are witnessing the end of an era--an era where doctors and nurses had to deliver care without knowing a patient's medical history, other than what patients might recall, what family members might have noted, or what individual medical records might contain. Thanks to ordinary citizens exhibiting extraordinary tenacity, we have begun to witness a transformation in the healthcare system, where patient information is available no matter where it is needed. This transformation has been slow, at times painful, occasionally dramatic, unfortunately traumatic to some, and not universally supported. This documentary follows the journey of pioneers who have shepherded us into this era, and provides a glimpse into the lives of patients, healthcare providers and advocates and adversaries from the public and private sectors.

The director shows herself and her parents making dumplings in their apartment with nine fixed camera positions, with which she revolves around the kitchen table.