Life, it turns out, is pretty fascinating n and full of characters and events that occasionally get headlines but seldom get much inspection. And sometimes, the stories aren’t known at all, but damn it, they should be.
They say that journalism is the rough draft of history. While some may debate whether documentary filmmaking is “journalism” n though some of it undoubtedly is n there are a lot of “rough drafts,” and perhaps a couple of doctoral theses, over the next week that provide plenty of historical context for generations to come.
Music was my interest. For those of you with political interests, economic interests, environmental interests and just plain quirky interests, you’re going to find your plate not just full but overfilling this week.
You’ll discover a lot of “progressive” (i.e. “liberal”) viewpoints over the week in this set of 98 documentaries. You’ll also find many that will (or could) support the other political viewpoints. You’ll have fun, you’ll cringe and you may even cry, as I did, while watching this amazing collection of films that Big Sky Documentary Film Festival co-founder and program director Doug Hawes-Davis was kind enough to drop off on my desk.
Death in the Jungle
‘JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLES TEMPLE’Running time: 86 min.
When it runs: Monday, 10 a.m.
What it’s about: The 1978 Jonestown, Guyana, massacre at the hands and under the direction of religious leader Jim Jones. Through survivor and journalists’ testimony, utilizing news footage and other video evidence along with current interviews, it documents the meteoric rise of a charismatic and controlling religious leader, a man who used his persuasive power to convince 907 people to give up their livelihoods and their lives, and ultimately kill themselves with cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
Why you’ll love it: You may think you know this story, and you may have remembered it from your readings of American history, but you have never felt the terror of the victims and the emotional scars of the survivors until you listen to a man describe how his infant son was injected with poison in front of his eyes.
Memorable quote: “They were just f——ing slaughtered. They were f——ing slaughtered. There was nothing dignified about it. It had nothing to do with revolutionary suicide, had nothing to do with making a f——ing statement. It was just senseless waste, senseless waste and death.” n Jonestown survivor whose wife and child died of the poison concoction
The war you don’t get on CNN
‘THE WAR TAPES’Running time: 96 min.
When it runs: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
What it’s about: An intense and personal look at a group of New Hampshire Army National Guard troops in their yearlong deployment to the most violent areas of Iraq, from their deployment until they’re reunited with their families.
Why you’ll love it: The viewer gets to see, in graphic and emotional details, the sympathies and empathies and hatreds and doubts of the soldiers who are fighting a war that none of us is fighting, along with the aftermath of the war. Far beyond the headlines, it shows us the actual experience of the United States soldier, with the soldiers themselves holding the cameras. Bombs detonate onscreen, soldiers are shot in a firefight, and in one intense scene, a soldier takes you through the “equipment graveyard” of Camp Anaconda — where blown-up tanks, Humvees and other vehicles hide the stories of the men and women who once occupied them. If you think all American soldiers feel the same way about President George W. Bush, his administration and the reasons for going into Iraq, you’ll be pleasantly, or perhaps unpleasantly, disappointed. Through their eyes, you gain enormous respect for the men and women fighting this war n and reel at the emotional havoc war wreaks on the young.
Memorable quote: “Every once in a while, as we’re driving down the road creeping along the patrol, I have a recurring epiphany: This is happening to me and will have a lasting impact on me for the rest of my life. The debate we had earlier in the day over the consistency and texture of a severed limb, was not some far-off, grotesque assumption. It was a genuine argument between the guy who swears it resembles hamburger, ground up but uncooked, and the guy who believes it looks more like a raw pot roast. There was no argument, however, that human intestines are pink, pork sausage links, if of course you imagine a butcher’s block as the background, instead of the screaming, and soon quietly moaning casualty.” n Guardsman Steve Pink, in a letter to his wife
Ethnic silence
‘SILENCES’Running time: 20 min.
When it runs: Sunday, 5:15 p.m.
What it’s about: A mixed-race man, age 36, Octavio Warnock-Graham, who is from a small town in Ohio, confronts his family about why his mother, grandmother and other relatives have for his entire life not spoken about or even acknowledged his African-American lineage, from a father he has never met and his mother doesn’t talk about.
Why you’ll love it: “Silences” raises questions about why people are so obsessed with race, why they’re so afraid to talk about it and the prejudices that are still quite alive and well and living in America. There is an emotional and satisfying meeting with the father that Octavio has never met. There are very tense moments as he confronts his family.
Memorable quote: Son: “Do you see my face in your face?” Mother: “Yeah, absolutely. I don’t know if you see my face in yours.”‘A SHIFT IN PERCEPTION’ Running time: 16 min. When it runs: Monday, 1:10 p.m. What it’s about: Three blind southern Australian women, all of them with rich life histories, discuss their hopes, dreams, memories and illuminating philosophies with vague remembrances of having vision and with unique and engaging life philosophies. While you’ll love it: The cinematography, mostly performed in black and white and experimental, minimalist and purposely sketchy, complements the women’s voices with such incredible technique that it makes you appreciative of your own eyesight. It is dark and shaky, filled with details of things recognizable but foreign, images reduced to patterns and shadows. The contemplative but ever-growing soundtrack, hardly noticeable until the film reaches an emotional climax, is absolutely captivating. Memorable quote: “I have never had eyesight in my life. That’s why I imagine things.”
A victory shaded green
‘FOREST FOR THE TREES’Running time: 56 min.
When it runs: Saturday, 10 a.m.
What it’s about: Documents the 12-year battle over Earth First activist Judi Bari’s defamation and wrongful-arrest lawsuit against the FBI and the Oakland Police Department. In 1990, a bomb went off in Bari’s car, severely injuring her and a fellow activist. Police and the FBI quickly labeled the two “terrorists,” saying the bomb was theirs. Charges were never brought, and Bari sued in federal court for violations of her First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights. Bari, one of the early heroes of the Earth First movement, died of breast cancer in 1997, but not before giving a death-bed deposition for the trial to go forward. The film was made and narrated by the daughter of attorney Dennis Cunningham, a former attorney for the Black Panthers and a lifelong activist who saw the case through to its shocking conclusion n a conclusion you get to witness.
While you’ll love it: Agree or disagree with Earth First and its tactics, all people need to be wary about how n and with what evidence n citizens are fingered by the government for prosecution. Ultimately, the film is a vindication for those who harbor ideas and methodologies looked on with suspicion by the government. During the reading of the verdict, Bari’s ashes were present in the courtroom.
Memorable quote: “It means that the people can see when activists are attacked for their activism, by the government, by the police and by the national or federal police. And now that’s unavoidable for everyone to see.” n attorney Dennis Cunningham
Everybody must get stoned
‘THE DRUG YEARS’Running time: 165 min.
When it runs: Saturday, 1:40 p.m.
What it’s about: Takes a penetrating look at drug culture, roughly from the 1950s to today’s ecstacy-fueled rave scene, telling the story of marijuana, LSD, coke, crack through the filter of music, counterculture and popular culture. The film has a riveting rock soundtrack and interviews with some of the most notable musicians, actors and counterculture gurus of the last 50 years n from Peter Coyote to Ken Kesey.
While you’ll love it: “The Drugs Years” n which has already aired on VH-I and was debuted at Sundance n provides an insightful historical context to the rise of the counterculture, how drugs played a critical part in the anti-war movement and how getting high to see God quickly became getting high for high’s sake. You’ll witness the Summer of Love turn into the summer of crime and chaos, the rise of cocaine as the drug of choice, and modern highs like ecstacy n and see also how the government took notice with the introduction of each new substance. It neither glosses over the dangers of hardcore drug use n addicts speak frequently n nor is a cheerleader for prohibition. After watching it, you will walk away amazed at just how fruitless and hopeless the legalization effort is in the United States. Can you imagine, for instance, George W. Bush giving a press conference announcing his intention to decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana? Seeing former President Jimmy Carter do just that is amazing.
Memorable quote: “When you took acid in the 60s, you were expected to have a religious experience. When you took acid in the 70s, you were just wasted.”
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)