One of the most important notes of the decade was the loss of Roger Ebert in 2013. A towering figure in film criticism, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn't impressed or inspired by Ebert's film writing. Candid, yet insightful, sharp, yet accessible, Ebert was the kind of writer who championed and revealed little-known films and could eviscerate with barbed, vicious reviews.
The film, directed by Steve James, is not only a loving insight into Ebert's career and how he reshaped our perception of film criticism (some would save even dumbing it down) but a tender portrait of a man at death's door. Filmed in the months leading up to Ebert's passing, we see a man, beaten down by cancer and various treatments that have rendered him speechless, yet one whose passion for writing and expressing himself never wavered.
I include this film among my 10 best because it represents an important moment for me this decade. Ebert's work had a profound effect on me, and I miss his writing to this day (what would he have thought of the MCU? Where would he come down in the Scorsese debate). It is also a wonderfully well-made film; James was clearly a good friend of Eberts, and there are some emotional, raw moments in the film, including Ebert's declining health and rapidly deteriorating state.
Life Itself is a wonderful documentary; it may not be the best of the decade (that would be a list all it's own), but it was the one that resonated with me the most, and one I will be returning too for years to come.
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