Holiday Heartache....time for a documentary

Screw the rom-coms, forgot the popular love stories like The Way We Were or The Notebook. No, next time you are suffering some emotional wounds due to a rejection or break-up, grab a documentary and I guarantee you will be feeling much better. I stumbled on to this sure-fire fix after I had endured a very quick separation from my ex of five years. I had come home to find that he had another woman spend the night in my bed. The weeks that followed were harrowing to say the least. I never went back to our house after that. I camped out with my step-dad until I was finally able to put together a game plan.

Did I mention this was two weeks before Christmas? So not only were the television screens filled with constant replayings of Love Actually, but there were all sorts of lovely holiday commercials, specials and programs, that showed heart warming family gatherings, romantic gift- giving....you get it?

I needed something to take my mind off all the pain, and initially I went for the heavy stuff. Death and destruction. I tried to rewatch Schindler's List one night hoping and thinking that would temper the somewhat trivial nature of my current situation...Nope...Horrible... I became sick to my stomach, and could not finish the film,,,it was too heavy, and was pulling me down into a spiral of "all of humanity does fucking suck."

Then I stumbled onto documentaries, some are lighter than others and you may have to try a few before you discover what type of documentary story really appeals to you.

Restrepo
The Queen of Versailles
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Brooklyn Castle
Chasing Ice
Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington
The Imposter
Bully

But weren't they too heavy? Seeing the reality of hardships that are represented in the above films. Not at all. I felt refreshed, rejuvenated and some of the pieces acutally inspired me. The documentary film was able to take me out of my own self-absorption for a while. The movies were able to temper my personal grief by reminding me of all the things in my life I do have to be grateful for. My brain was stimulated by discourses on the environment and war. My heartache although still painful was lesser somehow.

The above list are just a few, anyone have any recommendations for other great documentary films?