Lately, Ron Howard has had his eye on the documentary format. The Academy Award winning director, long known as the helmer of dramatic Oscar fare (after his career as an actor, of course), has recently been interested in non-fiction. Mostly, it’s been musically inclined, with works like The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years, Made in America, and Pavarotti, but this week brought something different. Rebuilding Paradise is a tribute to the perseverance of a California community ravaged by wildfires. It may sound a bit insular, but in Howard’s steady hands, it’s a look at the human spirit and determination to rebuild that we really need these days. The movie is, as you’d imagine, a documentary, focusing on the town of Paradise, California. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the community is about to be devastated by the 2018 wildfires that raged throughout the state. The worst fire in California’s history would leave wreckage in its path all over the place, but Paradise is struck particularly hard. The residents of the town, losing almost everything, refuse to give up, however, from the first responders on down. In short order, an effort to rebuild begins, signaling a glimmer of hope for the folks. In paying tribute to these brave and determined individuals, the doc (and Howard) showcases them as people who won’t let tragedy keep them from living their lives and claiming their home. Howard directs, with the real Erin Brockovich shows up on screen, while Lincoln Else handles the cinematography. As for the score, it comes from composers Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer. There is a sensitivity here on the part of Ron Howard that makes this more than just a simple made for television type special. He really seems to feel for the community, digging in to simply watch them refuse to give in to tragedy. It’s not flashy and completely observational, which definitely fits Howard’s filmmaking style. His ability to tell non-fiction stories is fairly underrated, as his Oscar success has made him an A-list narrative filmmaker. Here, he continues to show a different set of directorial chops. Even beyond the important nature of the content, seeing Howard put this forward is intriguing all on its own. It’s unexpected work from the man, content wise. Rebuilding Paradise is admittedly slight, rendering its effectiveness somewhat muted. That takes nothing away from the importance of the material […]