The Ethical Issues in Autobiographical Documentary

by Duc Nguyen

The non-fiction nature of documentary films has brought the issues of authenticity and ethical obligation back to the debate of objectivity. It questions the integrity of the filmmaker as a presenter of images. Michelle Citron wrote that every shot in documentary films is charged with the ethical implications and choices.(Citron, 271) More to this point is Jay Ruby’s recognition of the “society’s shifting moral expectations of the image maker and the consequent ambivalence some professionals feel about their ethical base.”(Ruby, 308) Ruby structures three moral issues confronting the ethical aspect of image making: First, the question of the filmmaker’s being faithful to his intention- how one’s being true to oneself, is fundamental basis of the moral responsibility. Second is the moral obligation of the producer to the subjects. And third is the obligation to his audience.(310)

Documentary filmmakers’ line of obligation continues to grow as cultural expectations expand. Oblige to these moral rules certainly is a daunting task since all films have a viewpoint. “Image makers show us their view of the world whether they mean it or not.”(309) Thus the autobiographical approach becomes a preferred method for documentary filmmakers. They employ the self reflective style perhaps to dodge the objective demands of the critics…