Director Joshua Belinfante
Rated G
Score 6/6

‘The World’s Best Film’ is an anthology documentary following 12 people that are striving to be the world’s best at strange and amazing things. From the world’s best bummer of cigarettes to the world’s best town planner to the best griller of bananas. Filmed over a period of 5 years in 3 continents the film is proof that anybody can do anything they put their minds towards. The film is hosted by Australian filmmaker, Joshua Belinfante. Through the film’s journey we discover that these individuals don’t actually need to be the world’s very best at what they do, just their own personal best.

For those of you playing along at home, even though this is the fourth review I have written of a documentary featured at the 2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival June 30th-15th July (stay tuned there are few more documentaries I have watched but still have to write reviews for them). I have also been told that The World’s Best Film is going to be featured in the Revelation Perth International Film Festival 9th July-19th. I would also like to note that I think that this is the seventh or eighth documentary I have reviewed that’s being featured in MDFF2020 and it’s the third documentary that’s brought me to tears. This time happy tears from laughing so hard.
The World’s Best Film is an odd title for a documentary, some people might even think that’s a little boastful. As soon as I realised that this was about people who are striving to be the best at something I was reminded of a line from the 2003 movie directed by Edward Zwick The Last Samurai ‘they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue’. It might be an odd connection to make, but I watch a lot of movies, so I am bound to make connections like this between movies every so often.

Now, I am sure there are a lot of you, like me who have that inner cynic who is bound to ask the question ‘how do you determine that they the world’s best?’. Now with these strange and amazing things sometimes it just might be possible to find somebody who is better. However, so long as these people are bringing happiness to themselves and the people around them it does not really matter. There were some amazing people featured in this documentary. I am sure my parents would not be surprised to learn that I found the section about the ‘Loo Tours’ of London to be highly amusing. For those of you reading this there are days when people in my life wonder when will I grow up. I found the man who is the ‘world’s best cigarette bummer’ to be highly charismatic, I loved the puppets horizon theatre, the gothic tailor is a very wise man and as a result of watching The World’s Best Film I might have been inspired to grill some bananas.

For those of you who might have wondered I have been reviewing movies for more then a couple of years and how I tell the difference between a great movie and a really great movie is the ability to reach inside me and have a genuine effect on my emotions. Now some filmmakers are capable of that for a moment or two. Joshua Belinfante’s The World’s Best Movie radiated happiness for its entire runtime.