Informant (2012)
Storyline
Vilified by some and venerated by others as the FBI informant largely responsible for the imprisonment of two youths following the 2008 Republican National Convention, Darby was once a charismatic activist mythologized by the American Left for his daredevil aid work in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Informant meticulously constructs a portrait of his life—before and after the death threats—through intimate interviews with Darby and tense reenactments starring the man himself.
Directors
Writers
Trailer
Reviews
90
Village Voice
Informant is riveting as it slowly assembles a damning profile of its subject. It's also timely.
90
The force of Darby's personality -- a rich stew of righteousness, arrogance and self-delusion -- gives the doc a psychological appeal independent of politics.
80
The Dissolve
What makes Informant so effective is that while its focus is on Darby, the story has a larger scope.
80
NPR
Among other things, this powerfully confused man is a study in American extremity.
75
Slant Magazine
It creates a useful distance between Brandon Darby and his stories that allow for us to assess them individually, reinforcing the film's suggestion that the truth is elusive.
