To both the filmmaker and subject’s credit, neither feel that the transition to Zoey should excuse past behavior, and the director lets her sit with her thoughts. She processes her actions in front of the camera as she surveys the wreckage of her life. This is what makes Whirlybird such a wholly unique story, ultimately resonating as a portrait of a deeply flawed person.

Rob Rector

Film Threat

Quibbles aside, Whirlybird proves a memorably evocative time capsule of 1980s and ’90s Los Angeles and the people who made — and captured — the news, as well as a stirring portrait of regret.

Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

At its best, Matt Yoka’s documentary vividly captures how personal demons shape creative output.

Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine