Review: Meta Documentary 'Actress' Is Admirable From A Distance

He tackled the weather in 2009 ("Owning the Weather"), pro-wrestling in 2012 ("Fake It So Real"), and this year documentarian Robert Greene has taken on another tempestuous, albeit much more intimate, subject with "Actress." It's the portrait of Brandy Burre, playing herself, as an actress who voluntarily placed her career on the back burner in favor of playing some of life's hardest parts: a mother raising children and a partner trying her best to maintain a happy home life. She's a familiar face to the perceptive viewer with a great memory, for Burre's most prestigious role was Theresa D'Agostino, the politically savvy campaign manager in HBO’s “The Wire.” After her biggest gig, however, Burre took a hiatus and decided to concentrate on family. Greene takes an avant-garde approach in detailing her attempt at getting back into acting now that her two children have grown out of diapers. It’s an expertly documented portrait that feels half-measured in its...