Because documentary films contend with real people and real events, it is to be expected that they shape the public’s understanding of those people and events. But it is a different matter altogether when those films start to have a tangible impact on the people or events they are purporting to document. 

What if Fahrenheit 9/11 had somehow brought about an end to the Iraq War? Or if Grey Gardens had led to Big Edie and Little Edie renovating their dilapidated estate? In such hypothetical cases, would the filmmakers be considered bystanders to the consequences of their films or, for good or ill, participants in those aftereffects?