Mitch Dickman
The old is boring and the new is exciting; right or wrong, that’s just how our brains our wired. So when something is in danger of becoming not just old but extinct, it’s only natural that they would seek to extend their longevity by latching onto something new. We could be witnessing an extinction event for one such aging institution, the daily newspaper.
The fading of print news and the rise of legal marijuana in the United States meets in the festival documentary Rolling Papers, but this clever intersection might not be its main selling point. The trailer plays up a jaunty, engaging style, and the world it explores looks filled with good-natured, quirky folks. Characters make or break this kind of society-exploring documentary, and it seems that Rolling Papers will deliver on that front.