Bryan Sarkinen

Movies

American Gadfly
Cinematography
A decade since his last campaign, 89-year-old former senator and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Gravel comes out of retirement when a group of teenagers convinces him to run for president one last time. Through the senator’s official Twitter account, the “Gravel teens” embark on an unlikely adventure to qualify him for the Democratic debates in order to advance an anti-war, anti-corruption, and direct democracy agenda in the 2020 presidential race. Working together, the young activists and the experienced politician confuse and amaze the generations between them.
Hysterical Girl
Cinematography
In 1900, Sigmund Freud began treating a 17-year old girl he called "Dora." Her parents brought her to therapy after she accused a family friend of sexual assault. Freud's account of his sessions with Dora was the only major case history he published of a female patient. Intercutting his published text with a scripted version told from Dora's point of view, Hysterical Girl revisits this landmark case. Woven throughout are several decades of cinema, Congressional hearings, and media coverage. What emerges is a portrait of the grip that Freud’s theory of hysteria has had on popular culture over the past century and into the present day.
After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News
Director of Photography
An investigation into the ongoing threat caused by the phenomenon of “fake news” in the U.S., focusing on the real-life consequences that disinformation, conspiracy theories and false news stories have on the average citizen.
At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal
Cinematography
A look inside the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal that shook the sports world in 2017 depicting a landscape in which women spend their youth seeking victory on a world stage, juxtaposed against a culture where abuse prevails and lives are damaged forever.
The Gospel According to André
Cinematography
From the segregated American South to the fashion capitals of the world, operatic fashion editor André Leon Talley's life and career are on full display, in a poignant portrait that includes appearances by Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Bethann Hardison, Valentino, and Manolo Blahnik.
Mommy Dead and Dearest
Director of Photography
Child abuse, mental illness, and forbidden love converge in this mystery involving a mother and daughter who were thought to be living a fairy tale life that turned out to be a living nightmare.
Thought Crimes
Director of Photography
Dubbed “The Cannibal Cop,” former NYPD officer Gilberto Valle was charged with conspiring to kidnap and eat women but argued it was all a fantasy. His story made headlines both for its disturbing details and its potential to kick off a trend of thought-policing across the nation. Featuring intimate interviews with Valle and insights from experts, Thought Crimes explores if someone can be found guilty for their most dangerous thoughts.
Altina
Director of Photography
You may not have heard the name, but after seeing this absorbing documentary, you will never forget her. Artist Altina Schinasi (1907—1999) led a fascinating life that intersected with key movements in 20th century American history. This absorbing documentary follows Altina from her birth to a wealthy Jewish family from Turkey, through her school days, her development as a sexually liberated artist, her political activism, her many marriages and her countless artistic achievements. A wonderful testament to an outstanding woman ahead of her time.
Text Me
Cinematography
Falling for each other online, two teenagers finally meet in person for a date at what turns out to be a mob-owned Italian restaurant. Will their Internet love shatter or grow strong and rich like a tomato ragout?