Catharsis

The definition of catharsis is: the purging of emotional tensions. A release of emotion after an overwhelming vicarious experience, resulting in the purging or purification of the emotions, as through watching a dramatic production.

In other words, I laugh, I cry, it becomes a part of me.

I've had two cathartic experiences as a result of Hot Docs seen over the course of this year's festival.

The first was through laughter, and a little film called Best Worst Movie.

The film explores the cult classic Troll 2. Incidentally, Troll 2 has absolutely nothing to do with Troll 1 and, more importantly, there are actually no trolls in the film. It's the undisputed worst movie in history.

Paul Michael Stephenson, the director, was a child actor in Utah(!) when he filmed Troll 2. He tells the story through the eyes of George Hardy, one of the leads of the film - an Alabama dentist, turned actor -- and Troll 2's director, an Italian crazy man, who refuses to see the film as an artistic failure. Not to mention, the cast of misfits that make up the remainder of the cast.

The results are hysterical. My delightful film-going friend and I were entranced.

Rarely have I seen something that has left me gasping for air because I was laughing so hard. You must see this documentary. And, by all accounts, you should probably own Troll 2. It'll probably cure cancer.

Now for catharsis of another kind: The Way We Get By.

The film follows three remarkable senior citizens who volunteer as troop greeters at the airport in Bangor, Maine. They thank soldiers who are departing for and arriving from Iraq.

When they're not at the airport, the film shows them struggling with their own issues -- aging, failing health, loneliness and depression.

It's clear that they connect with the soldiers on a deep level -- that sometimes our society casts our elders and our soldiers away, when they are no longer of use.

Trust me, you'll need two handfuls of hankies for this one. I had to go into my purse a few times. But there's redemption. I promise.