Black in America
The Black Power Mixtape (dir. Göran Olsson, 2011)
The Black Power Mixed Tape 1967- 1975, was a documentary film released in February 2011. Göran Olsson, the writer and director, was born in 1965, and produced his first film in 2009. He then produced his second film, The Black Power Mixed Tape 1967- 1975 which launched his career. He later released two more documentary films, Concerning Violence, in 2014 and, Fonko, in 2016. Olsson’s documentary Black Power Mixed Tape 1967- 1975 and Concerning Violence were both nominated for awards. Olsson received the 2011 World Cinema Documentary Editing Award from Sundance Film Festival for the film The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. Olsson’s film examines the black power movement in the US from 1967- 1975. The footage for the film was recorded by a group of Swedish journalists. The film was divided into 9 sections based chronologically, one for each year, and focused on several topics relevant to the black power movement. These topics included opposition to United States' involvement in the Vietnam War, the Black Panther Party, COINTELPRO, and the War on Drugs. The film includes footage of some leaders of the movement, namely Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael, and Huey P. Newton. Reviews were positive. James Greenberg says “This is a film that should be seen by anyone who wants to learn where we’ve come from as a nation.” Wesley Morris states, “It is an imperfect but ambitious film willing to confront an enormous, complex period in this country.” This film was tedious. It would have been more powerful if they had video of the violence taking place, rather than just having historical figures from that time discussing the events. The music in the film was pertinent to the movement, as the songs incorporated were created by the movement. The film connected the links between the black power movement, the war in Vietnam, and the War on Drugs. There was so much going on during this time period, a lot of the issues had an effect on the black power movement. It was also empowering for women as well; they were fighting for female rights as well. Combining the women's rights movement along with the black power movement was a critical point for the film. Overall, the information that the film incorporated was great, however, the director/ writer could have captured the information from the historical figures differently for the viewer, to make their stories appear more intriguing.
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-black-power-mixtape-1967-1975
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-black-power-mixtape-1967-1975
Selma (dir. Ava DuVervay, 2014)
The film, Selma, was released in December 2014. The director of the film, Ava DuVernay, is known for her accomplishments as an African American woman director. Born in 1972, DuVernay produced her debut film, This is Life, in 2008. She then won the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 for her second film, Middle of Nowhere. She was the first African American woman to win that award. DuVernnay also became the first African American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award as well as have her film nominated for The Academy Award Best Picture for Selma. DuVernay’s film, Selma, focuses on the Civil Rights Movement that occurred in America in the 1960s. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed, thus desegregating the South. Although segregation was over, racial issues still occurred throughout those states. One of the highlighted issues was the rejection of black individuals at voter registration. The voting officials would intentionally find a way to deny the blacks the right to vote. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sought, throughout the civil rights movement, for equality for blacks without the demonstration of violence. Although Dr. King advocated nonviolence, some of the government and law enforcement officers became violent. Despite the brutality, Dr. King assembled a nonviolent march in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. The goal of the march was for blacks to be able to vote. The march, along with other efforts of Dr. King and his followers, pressed President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Selma portrays these historical events and makes them more personal by giving the viewer an insight as to what occurred behind the scenes of the protests lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Overall, the critic reviews focus on not only inspiring but also eye opening historical events that were depicted in Selma. Although what Dr. King was able to accomplish was inspiring, the cruel treatment these people had to endure in order to get where they did was astonishing. Critics also focused on the relevance of civil rights and Dr. King’s accomplishments to today’s society. Marc Mohan from the Portland Oregonian stated that “a film this heartfelt and intelligent about social justice will never be unimportant, but it feels especially relevant today.” Another critic, James Berardinelli, from Reel Views stated “What Selma does so well is to bring to life the events of 1965, especially "Bloody Sunday" (the first march). It's one thing to read about these moments in a history book but another altogether to see them on the screen. The movie is riveting.”
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/selma/critic-reviews
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/selma/critic-reviews
The FBI's War on Black America (dir. Deb Ellis & Denis Mueller, 1990)
The film, The FBI’s War on Black America, sheds light on the COINTELPRO program the FBI launched in 1956. The program was set up to prevent the alliance “of militant black nationalist groups” and prevent the leaders of said groups from gaining respectability by discrediting them to the community. The program also wanted to prevent the rise of a “black messiah” who could unite black nationalists, mainly the youth. The main targets of the program were the progressive civil rights movement leaders like Malcom X, Eldridge Cleaver, Dr. King Jr., Fred Hampton, Huey Newton, etc. After Fred Hampton was shot at point blank by the Chicago Police Department, it was obvious that the COINTELPRO program would go to any lengths to stop the alliance of the Panthers. During this time, the FBI was working with local police departments to undermine groups like the Panthers through any means necessary. The film includes both interviews and archival footage of the people who were involved in the movement. The directors of The FBI’s War on Black America are Denis Mueller and Deb Ellis. Deb Ellis is an award winning author, feminist, and peace activist. She has written over twenty books and won many awards. Ellis has also donated her royalty income to many charities including; Street Kids International, The Children in Crisis Fund of IBBY, and UNICEF. Denis Mueller is a producer, director and writer. He produced and directed the films, Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train and The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He also directed the film, The Assassination of JFK.
The critic reviews on the film focus mainly on the topics of history and exposure. Michael T. Martin said, “In this illuminating and compelling exposure, Mueller and Ellis chronicle the long, sorry enduring history of black disenfranchisement during a period of social upheaval, racial conflict and revolt in America.” Mainly, this film brings to light so many lies as it recounts evidence that is somehow always lacking in history books. So many critics were unaware that the COINTELPRO program even existed, because obviously we don’t learn about it for many reasons. An anonymous person said, “There are some disturbing truths that lie in the pages of history, some which will never be revealed.” This film reveals that truth.
Reviews
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/cointelpro/
The critic reviews on the film focus mainly on the topics of history and exposure. Michael T. Martin said, “In this illuminating and compelling exposure, Mueller and Ellis chronicle the long, sorry enduring history of black disenfranchisement during a period of social upheaval, racial conflict and revolt in America.” Mainly, this film brings to light so many lies as it recounts evidence that is somehow always lacking in history books. So many critics were unaware that the COINTELPRO program even existed, because obviously we don’t learn about it for many reasons. An anonymous person said, “There are some disturbing truths that lie in the pages of history, some which will never be revealed.” This film reveals that truth.
Reviews
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/cointelpro/
Fruitvale Station (dir. Ryan Coolger, 2013)
Fruitvale Station is a dramatized version of the true story of Oscar, a 22 year old who is a Bay Area resident. The movie opens with New Year’s resolutions for the upcoming year. Oscar makes a resolution that will make him being a better son, being a better partner to his girlfriend, and being a better father to their daughter T. Throughout the movie, Oscar realizes his resolution is challenging. Oscar encounters old friends, acquaintances, and enemies to illustrate Oscar’s past. Oscar finds himself at Fruitvale station around midnight on January first in hopes of starting his New Year with a clean slate. Unfortunately, his final encounter due to unlawful police officers. The director of this film was Ryan Coogler. Fruitvale Station was Coogler’s first film and it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film. Coogler grew up in Oakland, which is why he was so inspired for this film. While attending Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California, he took a creative writing class. The assignment was to write about a personal experience, and Coogler wrote about the time his father almost died in his arms. His professor had him come to the realization that screenwriting and directing can help him reach so many more people than any other genre. Eventually Coogler came to write the award winning Fruitvale Station. Many reviews touched on similar themes: the humanization of Oscar Grant’s misunderstood character; the cinema aspects of the film; the performance of Michael B. Jordan in the lead role; and effectiveness by Ryan Coogler. One critic remarked, “A cautionary reminder of how predictably unpredictable law enforcement officers in America are.” It’s important to keep in mind when comparing this movie to social justice and what society is facing today. Another critic states: “While most of Fruitvale Station’s fictionalized scenes don’t particularly advance the movie’s plot, they do speak to the larger context of the real world, addressing societal perceptions, biases, and prejudgments in an honest, non-preachy, way. This is important because the subtext of the movie is the huge elephant in the room: racial profiling.” The movie is based on a true story, although dramatization is needed. This makes the movie interesting and easy to follow, but sometimes with the dramatization some aspects are lost. Oppositely, this movie can really speak for what our society faces. It is relevant to all of the protests and police brutalities going on right now in the world. This film helps open up the eyes of all people. It shows that people are people and no matter what race, color, creed, etc. We are all humans and should be treated justly.
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/fruitvale-station/critic-reviews
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/fruitvale-station/critic-reviews
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (dir. Stanley Nelson Jr., 2015)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, a film directed by Stanley Nelson, takes the viewer through the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party. Archived film footage and commentary by ex-Party members, journalists, historians, and retired police officers paint a clear, if somewhat biased, picture of why the Party formed, who was in it, and what became of it. The film follows a clear chronology, guided by footage, narration, and soundtrack, to share both the life and pride with which the party began, and the violence and controversy that ultimately brought it to an end. With these elements, the viewer is taken through the life of one of the most intriguing and controversial groups formed in the United States - one that is still spoken about and portrayed in film even 50 years later. This film, having commentary primarily by ex-Party members, is understandably biased, yet this is not a fatal flaw. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, who was against the Party from the beginning, is clearly portrayed as the "bad guy" in this film through eerie soundtrack and fierce voiceover. The movie does not refrain from mentioning the violence advocated and carried out by some of the leaders and members of the Party. The women comment on the struggle they faced with sexism in an environment they hoped would breed pure equality. The commentators also mention the rift between Huey Newton and Eldridge Cleaver that led to the ultimate separation of the party into two sects: those that wanted to focus on peaceful services to the community, or those that wanted to carry out active, violent, protests. They do not hide their spirit, but fully admit to some of the violence they were involved in as members of the Party which portrays the truth in this film.
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-black-panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution/critic-reviews
Reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-black-panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution/critic-reviews
National Genocides and Disappearances
The Act of Killing (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, 2013)
The Act of Killing is a film that takes the viewer on a journey into the memories and imaginations of the perpetrators, offering an insight into the minds of mass killers. In their youth, Anwar and his friends spent much of their lives at the movies, for they were known as “movie theatre gangsters”. They controlled a black market in tickets, while using the cinema as a base of operations for more serious crimes. In 1965 the army recruited them to form death squads because they had a proven capacity for violence, and they hated the communists for boycotting American films- the most popular and profitable in the cinemas. From 1965-1966 the massacre in Indonesia with direct help from the western governments, murdered over one million "communists". In The Act of Killing, Anwar and his friend agree to tell the story of the killings, however, their idea of being in a movie is not to prove testimony for a documentary; they want to star in the kind of films they love from their days scalping tickets at the cinemas. We seize this opportunity to expose how a regime that was founded on crimes against humanity, yet has never been held accountable, and would project itself into history. The film was directed by Joshua Oppenheimer and was born in 1974 in Austin Texas. Oppenheimer received a Bachelor of Art in film-making from Harvard University and a PhD from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design University of the Arts London, while studying on a Marshall Scholarship. He is currently a reader in documentary film at the University of Westminster. From 2004 to 2012, he produced a series of films in Indonesia. His debut feature film about the individuals who participated in the Indonesian Killing of 1965-1966, The Act of Killing (2012), premiered at the 2012 Telluride, Film Festival It went on to win many prizes world-wide, including the European Film Award for Best Documentary, a Panorama Audience Award, and a Prize of the Ecumenical Jury from the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. The film also received the Robert Award by the Film Academy of Denmark, a Bodil Award by Denmark's National Association of Film Critics, and the Aung San Suu Kyi Award at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival in 2013. Critical reviews from Metacritic were positive with an overall score of 89. There was only one negative review, and the critic stated that the effect is intended to be ghastly – which it certainly is. Oppenheimer allows murderous thugs free rein to preen their atrocities, and then fobs it all off as some kind of exalted art. This is more than an aesthetic crime; it’s a moral crime. Many critics said that although it is a horrifying film and hard to watch, it is a must see film that is both emotionally overpowering and a surreal experience.
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/the-act-of-killing/critic-reviews
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/the-act-of-killing/critic-reviews
The Look of Silence (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, 2014)
The Look of Silence is a documentary about a man who is trying to figure out exactly why the men killed his brother (whom he never knew) and several others during the 1960's Indonesian Genocide The murderers talked about the genocide with pride, and they literally laughed at times when explaining the torture, they put these poor people through. They explained in full detail how the torture was done; the sounds they made, the way the blood splattered, the different things they did to cause pain shortly before the victim’s death, etc. Because the movie is focused on one particular man and his family, the viewer tends to become almost "attached" to the characters, because throughout this movie they gave an incredible back story which made it much more personal. When he had a meeting with one of the men in his community to check his eyes, he asked several questions about the genocide and why they did what they did. The patient became very angry and told him to stop asking such political questions because it was "too deep." He continued to explain how they drank the blood of the people they murdered to ensure that they would not go crazy. It was just appalling how mentally insane the murderers were and how they had no remorse for this genocide whatsoever; there was a man who even wrote a book which included full details and illustrations of the people he killed and how he went about doing so. The calmness of the main character while he talks to these people throughout the film is commendable. Some of the people he interviewed acted as thought they were the victim themselves, such as the family of the man who wrote the book about the genocide. There were several parts during the interviews where there was dead silence. It was especially noticed during the interview with the old man who was getting the eye exam that kept getting angry with the main character for asking so many questions. While the dead silence was occurring, it began to feel very tense and almost scary because the audience and the interviewers during this time are completely unaware of what would come next. Subtitles in a way added to the film because one could hear people speaking, and read the horrible things said as the murders and interviewer stayed on the screen remained silent and emotionless. The film had good ratings such as: 4.5/5, 3.5/4, 92%, etc.
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/the-look-of-silence/critic-reviews
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/the-look-of-silence/critic-reviews
The Missing Picture (dir. Rithy Panh, 2014)
The Missing Picture is a documentary from Rithy Panh, an award-winning director who also directed S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine. In this film, Panh relives his time spent in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge campaign from 1975-1979. The Khmer Rouge, a communist group led by Pol Pot, was responsible for at least 2 million deaths during his brief time in power of the Southeast Asian nation. There are no videos from that time, besides state-run propaganda, so nearly the entire story is told with the help of clay figurines. Panh, 13 at the time, and his family were expelled from Phnom Penh in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge. The regime sentenced its inhabitants to work camps in rural areas, or simply imprisoned them. Using clay figures, Panh describes his upbringing, on occasion using flashbacks, illustrated by a different figurine of himself, in colorful clothing, to tell us his story of life before he was expelled from his home. His family were well educated, and Panh reveals that he spent a lot of his time backstage in films. At the end of his flashbacks, his colorful figurine is replaced with the regular, black clothed figure, like all of the other workers in the camps. Over the course of his time at the camp, he holds a few jobs, ranging from working in a kitchen, to digging burial pits. All the while, he describes the poor conditions of the work camps. Reviews for the film were mostly positive. One negative review said that the content of the film was so distanced from the subject matter that it was hard to watch, boring and dull, and the fact that it won the best foreign film (it was narrated in French) at the Oscars was appalling. Overwhelmingly, critics applauded the interesting use of the figurines to add individuals to the setting, while still distancing itself from the subject matter, similar to what Panh did in S-21. The positive reviews thought that the clay figures were brilliant, almost metaphorically portraying the genocide, again to distance the film.
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/the-missing-picture/critic-reviews
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/the-missing-picture/critic-reviews
Nostalgia For the Light (dir. Patricio Guzman, 2011)
Nostalgia for the Light is a documentary by Chilean documentary film director Patricio Guzman that focuses on the Atacama Desert. Although nothing grows in the Atacama Desert, three types of people are attracted to it; astronomers at the observatory looking through their telescopes into the vast space around us, the archaeologists who study the landscape, and the old women who wander the desert looking for the remains of their family members. Those family members had been political prisoners of war during Dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s regime in the 1970’s and were kept in the worker’s barracks in the abandoned 19th century salt-mining town Chacabuco. They were kept with thousands of other prisoners, many of who “disappeared.” The surviving relatives carry shovels through the desert searching for the remains of their loved ones, many of whom are thought to have been dumped in to the ocean. Mr. Guzman gives us a glimpse of eternal memory when he introduces two women in their 70’s, Victoria and Violeta. They have spent the better part of 30 years combing the Atacama Desert in hopes of finding their loved ones. Victoria found a foot with her husband’s shoe on in, and while some of us may not find comfort in this, she has. He also introduces us to Miguel, a survivor of five concentration camps that has drawn precise layouts of the prisons from memory. All three groups of people searching in the desert, the astronomers, the archaeologists, and the lonely women, are seeking life and meaning in the light of knowledge. This question unifies the seekers. The astronomers look into the far corners of space for the origins of life, while also knowing that the meteorites buried in the desert already carry messages from those far reaches. The archeologists dig to uncover evidence of human development all while understanding that this planet and its life is seeded from cosmic events. But the relatives of the disappeared face a troubling uncertainty: What can you say about the meaning of life after such tragedy has occurred at the hands of humans?
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/nostalgia-for-the-light/critic-reviews
Reviews
www.metacritic.com/movie/nostalgia-for-the-light/critic-reviews
The Battle of Chile: Part 1 (dir. Patricio Guzman, 1978)
The Battle of Chile is a documentary film that was made to capture the true ups/downs of the Chilean political system from 1970-1973. This film’s aim was to address political practices that would be considered unjust to most. The beginning of the film opens up with the bombing of the la Moneda palace. Historically, this event lead to the death of Salvador Allende. Allende was the president of Chile who performed many wrongful deeds while in power. Although this film shows his corruption, it also points out others corrupt involvements from 1970-1973. The film was directed by Patricio Guzman. Guzman was born in 1941 in Santiago. Growing up, he admired the works of current film directors. To pursue his admirations, Guzman attended the Catholic University of Chile and the Official School of film in Madrid. After earning respect from his prototype films, Guzman begin to expand his power. He would then go to create extraordinary pieces such as The Battle of Chile and Nostalgia for Light. Guzman’s films seek to capture unique testimonies and perspective to major historical events. The Battle for Chile: Part 1 deals with Allende’s two and a half years in office. It is important to note that there was political unrest before he came into the office. Allende was supported by the left wing groups under “Popular Unity”. On the other side, there was the center-right opposition parties consisting of Christian democrats and national parties. Allende won the presidency by a majority vote of the three parties running. His win sparked a riot because some believed the election was rigged. The film then shows the corruption being played out by Allende and his socialist scheme. Many things were implicated to harm civilians such as food distribution. Even opposed politicians had many beneficial laws rejected just because of their political differences. One’s political affiliation dictated their place in Chile. Although Allende tried to cripple the Chilean people, the film notes on how others conspired against Allende. In reality, the opposition of center-rights was able to have the influence they did due to outside factors, primarily the Pentagon. The US was so eager to remove a possible fascist out of office that they eventually lead a coup out against Allende. The bombing in the beginning of the film shows the moment where Allende died. This was only possible through US funding and intervention. Ultimately, Guzman shows both sides to the political struggle internally and externally. This can be seen from center-right protests being met with left wingers fighting with another and vice versa. It also shows in how influential the US was in defeating Allende. All this was done in order to prevent further domino states of communism from emerging in a “Cold World”. There were many secret and dark paths taken by all political actors in the years of 1970-1973, thankfully Guzman is able to capture it.
Reviews
www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/battle-of-chile-nostalgia-for-the-light/Content?oid=4199632
Reviews
www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/battle-of-chile-nostalgia-for-the-light/Content?oid=4199632
Israel/ Palestine
5 Broken Cameras (dir. Emad Burnat & Guy Davidi, 2012)
5 Broken Cameras is a film shot by a Palestinian man by the name of Emad. Burnat and the film was directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. Emad and his family live in Bil'in, a village whose members have all been affected by the building of a barrier meant to keep them from their land. The Israeli settlers illegally came and started building a barrier that forced people to move to Bil'in since they no longer had rights to their land. Emad grew up working that land with his father and they were olive farmers. One day some Israeli surveyors came and told them the barrier would be built right through the middle of their land. Emad and the people in his village were extremely angered by the Israeli's coming and taking their land and started peaceful protests every week at the wall. Emad would be there with his camera filming everything that would happen. Israeli soldiers would gas the protestors and chase them away. As the movement grew, the soldiers became more violent. They began firing live rounds at protestors and even killed some of them. The soldiers would come into the village to try to stop the protests, then they started coming at night and taking away children. The people of Bil'in never gave up. As the barrier made its way into other villages, those villages would follow the protesting tactics of Bil'in, and more people were killed. The soldiers became increasingly violent. After 5 years, the Israeli courts deemed the barrier illegal and granted some of the villagers their land back. The process did not happen for another 5 years and through that time the protests continued. When they finally began tearing down the barrier, a concrete wall was being built just beyond where the fence was built. Some of the villagers were able to get their land back, but the land is now scarred from the first barrier, and many have lost their lives engaging in peaceful protests. One critic described the film as “A hugely powerful, moving study of a small village's stand against overwhelming state power. Despite all the suffering and injustice, the final message is one of optimism that feels neither facile nor tacked-on.” The film shows an insiders view of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle that has been happening for decades. With that being said, it is evident that this documentary contains some graphic up close scenes of real accounts of this conflict.
The Gatekeepers (dir. Dror Moore, 2013)
The Gatekeepers (2012) is a documentary film that was directed by Dror Moreh. This film centered around six former heads of the Israeli internal security service named the Shin Bet. The Shin Bet is closely related to the United States FBI. The Film dips into different events that occurred in Israel as they are explained from the previous Shin Bet leaders. Each of the events that are addressed have a significant impact in Israel and the Shin Bet leaders attempt to defend their actions. For instance, when a Palestinian leader that the Shin Bet were searching for, for years finally surface he was travelling in a vehicle with his wife and child. As the Shin Bet leader is describing the occupants in the vehicle you see a satellite view of the car being blown up. Then the leader starts talking about the necessity of collateral damage. There was also a very tough event that occurred which was very hard for the Shin Bet heads to speak about. This event is known as the Bus 300 Affair. In this event there was a Palestinian hijacking of a public bus, which are very widely used in Israel. When the hijacking was stopped and the two Palestinian men were captured, members of the Shin Bet executed these men immediately. The members who were involved created false stories when being questioned. The Shin Bet also had the video footage of the event destroyed. Eventually the head of the Shin Bet resigned after the event but the president pardoned him of any wrong doing. It was obvious that many strange things and bad decisions have occurred in the Shin Bet’s history and this film created a way for its leaders to defend themselves. The film was very interesting, but a little dry at points. Watching the leaders of the Shin Bet describe their actions and then defend themselves was very unique. But often times I also felt like they were making decisions either out of anger or simply because they thought changing the event would somehow make it better. After watching the film, some of the audience may become overwhelmed by the reality of how unaware the public is of the actions taken by the FBI solely due to confidentiality. But who is to say that confidentiality doesn’t open the doors to easier cover ups for the FBI? If no one is legally allowed to talk about things that go on in the department who keeps the FBI in check for potentially illegal wrongdoings? It is very important to reflect on events that go on worldwide and allow it to open our eyes to things that may be happening in our country. That is precisely what to documentary The Gatekeepers helps it’s viewers accomplish. Just because it happened somewhere else doesn’t mean it isn’t happening here, perhaps the public is just being kept in the dark.
Waltz With Bashir (dir. Ari Folman, 2008)
Waltz with Bashir is a special type of film for many reasons. Its animation technique is flawless, throwing lights and darks into an array that creates magnitude, but the actual content of the film is what makes it most intriguing. This is a film that does not scream a political view, but instead explores the human psyche and how these views, along with everything else, are made in the brain. The director stars in the film, and it’s his memory that we’re trying to sift through. The film starts with an encounter of an old comrade, and a realization that Ari does not remember exactly what happened during an infamous massacre that he thinks he helped perpetrate. This catapults the film onto its journey where Ari goes to meet with multiple men he once fought alongside with for the Israeli Army. He also talks to psychologists and reporters who documented the massacre. It circles around what it means to repress memory, and all of the feelings, mainly guilt, that send this sickly, cyclical process snowballing to the extremes that it can. This unique perspective, especially one set in a place of so much conflict, can be attributed to the validity of Ari Folman’s experience. The cartoon man in the film is the real man behind the camera. This medium allows him to thoroughly explore his own psyche in a way that most films couldn’t depict. Ari Folman has won many awards for his films, with the majority of his awards for Waltz with Bashir. They include, but are not limited to, Ophir awards for best director and best screenplay, a Golden Globe award for best foreign language film, along with wins from many film festivals across the globe. It’s easy to see why Waltz with Bashir was so widely acclaimed. Its lack of focus on the conflict in Israel and Palestine was almost refreshing. This film does not deal with the raw horror of the actions in the Middle East, but instead deals with the people affected by it. In a sense, it shows the true horror, and even the perpetrators can hold the bad things they did inside. Sentient human beings should have trouble doing the things that have been done on this earth. This film allows us to look at the perpetrators and relive the horror that they created and must now live with. While many people are mindless drones, not all are, and this film deals with what it was like to have to be a drone and then return to being a normal human.
Checkpoint (dir. Yoav Shamir, 2003)
Checkpoint (2003) is a documentary directed by Yoav Shamir showing the interaction between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians on a day to day basis. The checkpoints were positioned along the West Bank of the Gaza Strip. The documentary is focused on various people trying to pass through different checkpoints stationed along the West Bank. In some areas, such as the Gaza Strip, there are hundreds of people waiting to get through; where as in South Jenin there are only a few Palestinians waiting to pass by. Most of the time, people show their identification cards reluctantly; Shamir shows people who are more frustrated and do not understand why they must provide identification. At one point of the documentary, a school bus full of kids is stopped and the guard asks the driver to empty the bus and eventually tells the driver they cannot pass even though the driver insists that they drive through that checkpoint every day without a problem. Another point of the documentary showcases when an ambulance is stopped and every single passenger is forced to explain why they need to proceed in the ambulance to the hospital. Sometimes, it seems as if the guards will let them pass but then change their mind on a whim and explain that they actually cannot pass even though there is no exact reason why they cannot continue. The soldier’s explanation is usually that they are just following the orders of their commander and simply cannot let them pass even though they generally would like to. All of this is made more complicated by a language barrier.
The Law in these Parts (dir. Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, 2012)
The Law In These Parts is an Israeli documentary film that was written and directed by Ra’anan Alexandrowicz and Liran Atzmor. This film explores the legal framework that Israel has used for their military presence in the Palestinian area known as the West Bank, a territory surrounded by Israel. The West Bank was under Palestinian Control for many years until June of 1967 when the West Bank was overthrown and captured by Israel, which would come to be known as the Six-Day War. Once the Israeli military took command of the West Bank, the Israeli military began to issue a multitude of different orders and laws that were impactful to the Palestinian people who were considered prisoners in their own land. During the documentary, Ra’anan Alexandrowicz interviews many different lawyers, judges, and generals who were active in the creation of the laws placed in the conflict. All of these interviewed were all members of the military as well. Ra’anan asks all of them, what was going through your heads when this was all taking place, and if they feel any differently today about their actions. Also, he brings up actual events where these laws negatively affected innocent people. The film as a whole shows the Israeli military and their unjust acts, but also contains an underlying theme of the impact that the military’s laws and actions had on tensions between Palestinians and Israelis and of the growing animosity that arose because of these actions. The film is broken up into 5 parts: Orders and Proclamations, Terrorists and Criminals, Dead Land, Appropriate Solutions, and Judge and Enemy. Ra’nanan Alexandrowicz uses these parts as a timeline of the events that occurred, and shows videos and pictures taken during the actual time period. The former military that were interviewed in this film had mixed feelings on their actions but more often than not, the soldiers bIelieved their actions were just. One person said that he felt the people in the West Bank should feel no remorse because the new life delivered by the Israeli military is better than the one they had before the military presence. A few members of the military did show some remorse, and admitted that their actions had caused them pain and sleepless nights. Ra’nanan did a good job while interviewing these people, because he was always objective, and really pushed the people to understand the repercussions of their actions, and the legacy that lives on into today's society because of their military's actions.
Justice Denied
The House I Live In (dir. Eugene Jarecki, 2012)
House I Live In, is a documentary focused on a great war in America This movie was created by award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki and executive producers Brad Pitt, John Legend, Russell Simmons and George Clooney, The House I Live In examines the effects of drug laws on everyone from the dealer and the grieving mother to the jailer and the federal judge inside America's longest war. One critic describes the film as “a devastating denunciation from Eugene Jarecki of the US war on drugs that shows how racial prejudice, political timidity, economic malaise and media collusion have been allowed to conspire to produce the wrong solution to the wrong problem.” This film depicts a war people see everyday, the war on drugs. The war on drugs has destroyed countless lives if not killed them. It has torn families’ apart and damaged America as a whole looking forward. The movie starts with a kind-hearted woman who had lost her son to drugs and all about how the war on drugs has affected her life. The film also shows a younger woman a drug dealer in the city with her perspective on the war on drugs. She states how this is just how she makes her money and how she does not have much opportunity to make much besides selling drugs. The film also shows a perspective from the law enforcement. This was a section of the film that seriously struck me in the sense when the police officers were talking about people as a whole and the idea of drugs they made it out to be that the community was a lost cause and it was all-hopeless. Wanting to work in a future government position this hurts me to see that people who should want to better our country are just giving up on it.
Kids for Cash (dir. Robert May, 2014)
The movie Kids for Cash documents an extremely recent case in which a series of adolescents were over-sentenced for minor misdemeanors in exchange for cash kickbacks to the sentencing judges. These wrongful convictions occurred over a period of years, culminating in a investigation in 2008. The film was produced and released in 2013, following the sentencing of the two judges involved, Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella. The film traces the history of the judges, starting with Ciavarella's election to the judiciary in 1995. The film explains that starting around 2000, Ciavarella increased the severity of his sentences, which was broadly supported by the Luzerne County community. Eventually though, those harsher sentences translated into punishments that were considered cruel and unusual for the crime. The judges received huge kickbacks in return for supplying these detention centers with more children. In 2008, the illicit activities were finally uncovered, which was followed by a three-year trial process that ended in long-term convictions for both judges. Michael Conahan received 17.5 years for his part; Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years, the difference coming from his refusal to accept a plea bargain. Kids for Cash utilizes interviews with some of the kids involved, as well as their family members. It follows the stories of these particular families from when the kids are sentenced all the way up to the conviction of the judges in 2011. With how recent and close to home these crimes were, a sizable amount of footage from the time, along with radio broadcasts and news coverage’s, were available to be inserted into the film. Public and private lives come together to encompass an equally-told tale that remains stained by the horrors of man.
West of Memphis (dir. Amy J. Berg, 2012)
The movie West of Memphis is about the wrongful imprisonment of three teenagers for killing and mutilating three boys. The movie starts off on the day the murders take place. The three boys go off to play and that is the last time anyone see them alive again. The boys are found dead, tied up, and mutilated. Everyone is shocked that this type of thing happened in their town. Someone mentions the words 'devil worship' and the investigation takes a whole different direction. So the police go and find three teenage boys that were different from everyone else, the outcasts of the town. Their names were Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols, the oldest one being 18 years old. Police take them and start interrogating them until final Jessie Misskelley Jr. confesses to the crime. They all go to trial and many people come out as witnesses, and claim to witness some graphic actions. With these statements and Jessie’s confession, they were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty.After this they start to show you what is wrong with the case, starting with the confession. Jessie was clinically intellectually disabled, with an IQ score of 70. He was tricked into the confession and his story was different every time he told the story. They explain that this wasn’t a devil worship case and the bodies appeared mutilated because of natural causes. The witnesses that said those god-awful things about Jessie Misskelley, Jr., Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols appear on camera saying that they were told by the prosecution to say these things.They go on to explain that the prosecution wanted them to be guilty for political gain, but the supporters made sure that none of them got elected for anything.Further investigation into the killings indicates that Terry Hobbs murdered the three boys. Investigators find his DNA at the crime scene and they interviewed people that said they heard him or heard someone else that heard him say he killed the boys. He also didn’t have a very good relationship with his stepson. This and other people saying that he was the last person seen with the kids is the reason why the movie points fingers at him for the murders.There were a lot of people that believe that the kids are innocent so they started doing things to help them get free and finally after 18 years the state offers them a deal saying that if the say they are guilty that the will be free to go and live their lives. So they take the deal but are unable to sue the state for anything. This deal was a way for the state to get out of what they did wrong. The judge that sets them free even says that this was an example of the justice system being wrong.
The Central Park Five (dir. Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, & David McMahon, 2012)
The Central Park Five is a documentary pertaining to a famous court case between a victim and her five supposed attackers. The brutal attack and raping of Trisha Meili, a white 28-year old women, took place on April 20, 1989 in Central Park during Trisha’s early morning late night jog. The Central Park Five was the name given to the five black and Latino teenagers, ages 14-16, who were found in Central Park that morning and convicted of the crimes committed against the jogger. This group was made up of Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Kharey Wise and Yusef Salaam. The teenagers admitted to walking with a group of 30 kids that night, but not partaking in the rampage which the others were exhibiting. However, as displayed in the footage from the film, once some of the boys were arrested they wrongfully confessed to attacking the jogger. Directors Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, created the film in order to discuss the racially motivated crime which took place between the young boys and the justice system. The film is made up of the original interviews of the assailants, footage of news reports pertaining to the case then and now, newspaper clippings, and interviews of the men since their record has been wiped clean. One of The Central Park Five members, Antron MCray, did not show his face but did agree to be interviewed and allow his voice to be heard on the film. Film makers also put great emphasis on the number of years each of the now men served before they were exonerated. In 2002 a New York State Supreme Court Judge, overturned the boys’ original conviction after being presented with DNA evidence in addition to a confession from the man who was responsible for the brutal attack on the young women in 1989. By this time the men known as The Central Park Five, had served 7-13 years in prison for a crime none of them committed. Some criticisms of the film pertain to its inability to explain why such a large amount of people in New York, including African Americans, were so readily accepting of the thought of the teenagers being guilty. The film also fails to display the newspaper article which came out several months after the attack, showing that some of the accused were part of the neighborhood troublemakers. The Central Park Five, is a well put together film, that reminds the audience of the injustice that can take place solely due to race.
Murder on a Sunday Morning (dir. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, 2001)
Murder on a Sunday Morning is directed by Jean-Xavier De Lestrade. The film is a true story about an African American teen named Brenton Butler who was wrongly accused for murdering a woman in May of the year 2000 in Jacksonville, Florida. Butler never actually killed the woman, but the police picked him up on a street near the shooting. The woman’s husband, who was with her at the time, identified him as the person who shot his wife. After the 15 year old boy is picked up, he is taken into custody and eventually brutally beat up by cops until he signs a form admitting he was the one who shot her. Everything is looking really bad for Brenton until a lawyer named Patrick McGuinness arrives. McGuinness eventually proves that the cops were lying and the boy was just being blamed because he was an African American. Brenton Butler was eventually proved not guilty thanks to his lawyer for supplying evidence that the interrogators beat up Butler and forced him to confess. It only took the jury less than one hour for them to come to the decision the Brenton was not guilty. The way that the film is laid out is very interesting because it shows the audience actual footage from the court case, while also showing scenes about the whole investigation on the murder. The film shows most of the key points of the trial, including Brenton up on the stand talking about how he was beaten into signing the form. It also shows side interviews from some of the people involved in the trial, like Butlers family and his lawyers. It goes through every phase of the trial, starting with the opening statement, and ending with the verdict which was reached after just 45 minutes being not guilty.
