14- "Waste Land" and "Born Into Brothels"

by Elisabeth, Sabrina and Anna

Who ever said that poor living conditions and pop art could never work together? As we grow up, our parents teach us the importance of compassion and respect towards each other. Whether it’s regarding our family, friends or even strangers, we are expected to act this way all the time. We are brought up in a society in which we have to care for others and we all live as a whole, not individually. In situations that are more challenging because of impoverishment, societies are mostly taught how to work and to survive, that’s all. The aspect of respecting others is encouraged but not necessarily preached since it is unconditionally not a priority in their lives. But even in these unfortunate conditions there will always be the power of art. The majority of the time, art is an emotional provoker; it is meant to make people feel certain sentiments, which then displays the real beauty of art. The two documentaries that were presented display a completely different way of life in which underprivileged people are presented with the objective of creating art with what they have. In both films, we come to realize that art and the human condition can work together even in extreme cases.

The film Waste land is a documentary that lasts about one hundred minutes, has been filmed in Brazil and directed by LucyWalker, João Jardim and Karen Harley. It had been released on January 24, 2010. This documentary is about an artist named Vik Muniz that had a goal to change peoples’ lives by showing them their real value. Vik Muniz always used different object to create his work, he recycle most of the time but also, he redo some work who marked the generations. He went to the field for three years, in three years, he helped the workers to see the beauty of life. He decided to go to the world’s largest landfilled, meet the folks who worked there and he investigated the opinions they had about their work. When Vik understood that they didn’t enjoy being represented as garbage sorters, he decided to show them how garbage can be viewed in a different and better way.

Waste Land shows the audiences a parallel between the daily life of the workers at the Jardim Gramacho and the art that can be made from the garbage, which is totally discarded and has absolutely no value. This journey becomes really symbolic to the workers since in their minds, they have no hope and even though they acknowledge that they play a huge role for recycling, they are not valuing themselves, as they should be. The fact that the workers had the opportunity to use the waste and create something as beautiful with what they had made their thoughts completely change about undervalued objects. They came to realize that anything in life can develop a greater value and that it’s just a matter of perspective and projecting reality. Vik Muniz followed them through their hard times, and with his compassion, he helped them become more open to the camera. With this compassion, Vik was also able to make them feel like they were not only workers, but human too. When he asked them what they wanted to do and why they were here, the labourers told him that they wouldn't do it if they could and that if they had the money, they would do what they always wanted to do; follow their dreams just like Vik.

Since art has always reunited people around the world, Vik came with this idea to reunite the workers and the world to make everyone see this unique experience. His objective was to make the outsiders develop a value for art through the garbage and make the workers develop a value for garbage through art. As we saw in class, the art and the human nature is very close; we all have creativity inside us, but most of the time we don't express ourselves with art and many of us don't use it at our advantage. In the movie, when we saw Vik Muniz directing the workers to create one of the pieces of art, one of the girls realized that she could do it everyday, she even asked Vik to follow him. At this time, we saw her realizing that she actually had talent and creativity. Unlike the majority of men and women, Vik uses his creativity to comfort a group of workers from the Jardim Gramacho, by making the garbage beneficial to recreate different pieces of art in his own style and to have an enormous impact in this community. With imagination, art can help citizens be closer to each other and Vik sends this message through the different pictures he shares and therefore, strangers can feel closer to the workers. It shapes a connection between the people who see the images and the workers even though they may have never met.

This documentary also indicates that anything can develop as useful when both cooperation and respect, which are two important values for the human race, are adjoined together. Without cooperation, there's no loyalty between anyone and without it, there's not true respect between individuals because cooperation and respect work together. As we go in our lives, we need to respect the people around us if we want to work together as a whole to achieve something great. As Muniz learned in greater depth about whom they were internally and not only who they were on the landfill, we see his heart becoming progressively more fascinated about these people. At the beginning he had a certain expectation from them, but as he got to know them on a completely different level, he became more concerned about making them feel esteemed by producing his artwork. From this film we can actually learn that dignity, hope, faith, respect for ourselves, and cooperation are very essential for everyone’s happiness. Even if the image viewers are not part of the workers, they still feel disturbed by this problem since they become a witness of the reality over there. It is very easy to relate to and like Billy Joel said: "When I look at great works of art or listen to inspired music, I sense intimate portraits of the specific times in which they were created." This is what we call real beauty of art and humanity.

To learn more about the film and see the art, click here: http://www.wastelandmovie.com

​The film Born Into Brothels is an American documentary that was filmed in Sonagachi directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman. This documentary is about a woman named Zana who decided to give photograph classes in a deprived region. She gave the children an opportunity to share their living conditions and exhibit them for to the world to see. The lesson developed a sense of independence in the children since Zana gave them their own camera and they would go on their own to take pictures of their surroundings. When they would have a numerous amount of photographs, after a certain period of time they would all combine the pictures together and compare them to then choose which ones had the most significance to their lives.

As Zana was showing them how to take good pictures, she started to develop a connection with the kids and became very concerned for them. Since they lived in poor conditions, the viewers can see what are the true colours of the people behind the misfortune. They go through violence everyday, fear, being neglected, having no money, rejection and many more. Zana took the responsibility to fill in documents and organize files to give them an opportunity to go to school. In their territory, schools do not accept any kids whose parents are criminals meaning prostitutes, drug dealers, etc. But living in the Red Light District is not the best place ever because there is not a great selection of choice for work so they all go on the criminal side. She also had them tested for HIV because schools do not accept anyone that are positive and she took a lot of her time to give them that opportunity. In the end, unfortunately only one of the kids remained in the school and is continuing his education. The other kids either dropped out, ran away or their relatives (parents, grandparents) made them come back to the district and leave school.

Even though the majority of them blew their opportunity away, they still have the chance to take pictures and share their passion. Zana taught the Red Light District children that what really matters isn’t what you have, it’s creating something great out of what you have. With photographs they can learn more about where they live since they have to travel around to take as many divers pictures as they can. Plus, it also brings joy in their days because they developed a huge passion for photography. Today they are probably still sharing this passion that makes them wake up in the morning and feel determined that maybe one day they’ll have the future they want. Zana pushed them to focus their energy on photography, which prevents them from turning into criminals just like their parents and leads them to a improved future.

To learn more about the film and see some pictures the children took, click here: http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/

Both Waste Land and Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids teach us similar lessons in life as well as teaching us certain things about ourselves. From the perspective of the visitors of the places seen in the film, Vik Muniz (for Waste Land) and Zana Briski (for Born Into Brothels), we learn a lot about our human nature. The first aspect is that we are all prone to think we know about different people and places based on their reputation or from what we’ve heard. In both films the artist was surprised to find that the places they visited differed from their preconceived ideas of them. We also see an attachment grown between the artists and the people they were reached. This shows us that no matter how different people are from each other, they have a nature to see past the exterior and connect on a deeper level. 

Through the people living in the devastating places the films are based upon, we learned that the saying “you can do anything if you put your mind to it” is one hundred percent true. Though these people thought they were trapped in the life they were living and that a better life was a dream away, with just a bit of motivation, encouragement and worth installed, we saw them go on to do things they never thought was possible and all this because of art. Whether it be getting a better job and having enough money to provide for their family (in Waste Land) or escaping their almost inevitable future of working in a brothel to go on and receive a higher education (in Born Into Brothels),they all had the occasion to reach their own goals.

This motivation, encouragement and worth installed in them was done so by the filmmakers, Vik Muniz and Zana Briski, who’s missions were to give the people they were visiting a new perspective of life through art and showing them that they weren’t bound to the life they were living. While both filmmakers had the same intentions, I believe one of them communicated those ideas to the viewers in a much-enhanced way, which was Zana Briski. Though Vik Muniz made a huge impact on the people he was working with, he did so by working alongside them, which I think gave them more of a sense that they helped Muniz make something great. Zana Briski on the other hand, taught the children how to work a camera and then let them go off to photograph whatever they desired to photograph. This gave them a sense of being able to do something great on their own because they were using their own power and creativity, not hers. But in the end, what really mattered wasn’t whether the people sensed an independent empowerment or an empowerment through being a part of a project, it’s the fact that the filmmakers presented their ideas and both empowered people dramatically.

So how do these films change our understanding of the world? I think the obvious answer would be that it helps us see the power that art has on people and that no matter who you are or where you come from, you have the power to do something amazing. But personally, these films have challenged another aspect of my understanding. Living in North America, some tend to fool themselves into thinking wisdom comes from our grandparents since they have lived a long life, or those individuals who have a Harvard law degree hanging on their wall. But these films completely changed my way of thinking, especially Born Into Brothels. I was completely in awe the whole time watching the film on the knowledge the children of the prostitutes had about their mothers’ work, the things that go on around them, the reasons why they’re living the way they do, etc. What really astounded me the most was how much they knew about each other and people in general; how they functioned in their condition. The kids in Born Into Brothels showed us that wisdom came from within and cannot be taught in a school or brought on through 80 years of living. It comes from knowing the things that are around us and learning from them.

​In life, you don’t need to be rich to be happy. All you need is something that drives you to accept your living condition and making the best out of it. Appreciating what you have is essential to contentment, not money. Inspiration always plays an incredible role in life and sometimes it’s needed in certain cases just like both documentaries, but once everything is set, nothing can stop those persons. Passion creates hope for everyone and when they all use their power collected, that’s when the majority becomes delighted.  

13 - "How to survive a plague" and "We Were Here"

By:Alex, Keiran, and Syed

According to the World Health Organization, there have been, as of 2012, 1.4-1.9 million people that have died from acquired immune deficiency (or immunodeficiency) syndrome, otherwise known as AIDS. This syndrome weakens the immune system (hence the term “immune deficiency”), which usually defends a person against most illnesses. With AIDs, the body can’t defend itself from most diseases. This means that people don’t die from AIDS itself, but rather, they die from the diseases that their body can’t defend from. The two documentaries that follow the story of AIDS are How to Survive a Plague and We Were Here, which explores the beginning of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s.

More information and statistics about HIV/AIDS from the UNAIDS’ website -   http://www.unaids.org/en/dataanalysis/datatools/aidsinfo/

How to Survive a Plague

How to Survive a Plague is an American 2012 documentary that was directed by David France. This documentary follows the groups ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) and TAG (Treatment Action Group) during the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, which takes place in the 1980s. The film uniquely uses a mix of two means of media. It heavily relies on archival footage of the events, and shows the viewers the demonstrations and meetings of the group. It also uses interviews from members of ACT UP, such as Larry Kramer, one of the key members of the group, as well as researchers for HIV/AIDS.

 The documentary focuses on the history of ACT UP, as well as the history of the AIDS pandemic. With this, it also focuses on the publicity and treatment of AIDS by confronting the government and certain medical institutions, such as Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. This is illustrated in the group’s demonstrations, such as demonstrating in front of the offices of Merck and prevents the workers from going in. The documentary also focuses on LGBT rights. The most prominent example of this was the group’s demonstrations in the hospital and in the St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

This week’s topic was global activism – how can you take a stand against a problem? Activism is, in simple terms, the effort(s) used to change or fix a problem in the government. Methods can vary, from peaceful demonstrations (such as the ones presented in the film) to riots (such as the ones in This Is What Democracy Looks Like). In this documentary’s case, the problems that are being faced are discrimination (which is prejudicial treatment towards a specific group of people) against people with AIDS (fittingly initialized as PWA) and homosexuality. During the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, AIDS was dubbed by the public as “gay cancer”, “gay-related immunodeficiency” and then AIDS. In the eyes of the public, homosexuality was seen as the reason for death by AIDS, as the former attacked the behaviors that caused it (gay sex) as the problem instead of AIDS itself. Because of this, gay people were deprived of direct human contact from fear that heterosexual people would “catch” AIDS. The government would also ignore the disease and would refuse to talk about homosexuality, fearing that it would somehow promote it.

So, how do you face and solve large world problems? There are three simple ways to do it: learn, fight and love. Learning involves understanding the problem – what’s happening? As you understand the entirety of the situation and what can be done about it, the clarity of the procedure would come much quicker. Members of ACT UP also included former scientists and researchers, who have studied AIDS. They also learned that the government had produced treatment for AIDS, so the group believed it was possible. The second step: fight. Fight for what you believe in, and never lose sight on the mission. While the government ignored homosexuality and AIDS, the group essentially took over the media, as shown when Staley, a member of ACT UP, from a guest in Crossfire to represent the PWAs. Finally – love. Fight for what you believe in and with the people you love. Members of ACT UP all worked together, as they all wanted something in common (treatment for AIDS).

How to Survive a Plague trailer

We Were Here

We Were Here is a 90 minute documentary made in 2011 and was directed by David Weissman and Bill Weber. This film follows the story of the gay community in San Francisco from beginning to the end of the AIDS epidemic. Although holding many similarities to the film How to Survive a Plague, We Were Here differentiates itself by focusing less on gay activism and more on the gay community and the people that are a part of it. The majority of the film is a compilation of modern day interviews paired with archival images but, unlike How to Survive a Plague, uses much less archival videos. All the people interviewed in the film are connected to the epidemic in one way or another and usually see it on quite a personal level, whether it be a nurse who treated hundreds of AIDS patients or an AIDS survivor who has lost all his friends. The film never locks its focus on a specific person or story and tries to cover many perspectives on the epidemic. As mentioned above, the films focus lies in the stories and experiences these people had during this time in their lives and plays out like a large storytelling. Instead of trying to show us the struggle of trying to get the word of AIDS out and get people educated about it like How to Survive a Plague did, this film just wants the viewers to see how the epidemic effected not only people with the disease, but everyone around them. The people interviewed who had actually had AIDS and survived all seemed to have a common metaphor to describe the situation, “like being in a warzone.” This was because at any moment, you or someone you know could die in an instant. You could go from a light fever to dead in a week and that’s what made AIDS such a scary disease for these people. This film was special because it did not only tell stories of death and sorrow, but also happiness and community. Although many of the interviewees had trouble holding back tears most of the time whenever they talk about a lost loved one or friend, they kept this happy grin on their faces. They knew that the time they spent with these people was happy and fulfilling and spent more time talking about the good times together than the bad ones. One man named Daniel Goldstein describes throwing a party for a friend of his who was on his last few days. Every person who knew him came to say goodbye, and to save himself from a painful death made a cocktail of medication and killed himself afterwards. This may seem very strange by today’s standards but the suicide rate among aids patients is quite high as stated in this article http://www.painresearch.utah.edu/cancerpain/ch04.html(the information about AIDS is about a quarter down the page.) This is one of many examples of the awful things AIDS victims and their loved ones had to deal with on a daily basis, no 20-something year old should ever have to live through what they did.  Here is the trailer for the film, it gives a good overview of the film’s mood and style.

We Were Here trailer

The 2 documentaries made the world realize that AIDS does not only affect homosexuals, but it can affect everyone’s lives. In the documentaries, we are shown that the world doesn’t seem to care about this epidemic spreading throughout different countries just because it hasn’t affected the “normal people” since the homosexual people are portrayed as people who are abnormal. After watching these documentaries, I felt sympathy towards people who are confused about their sexuality and how the world has been treating them. Their rights are  taken away from them just because they like someone of the same sex. Normally, we see the act of homosexuality as a taboo from the perspective of our society, but the filmmakers found a unique way to show us the perspective of the homosexual community. For example, in How to Survive a Plague, we are taken into the community of ACT UP and are shown what they have been going through and how it was so hard for people to accept the fact that there was an epidemic spreading. I was able to see a different point of view and how they have kept being put aside. In both documentaries, people were able to get together and challenge the world and show them that they had the right to treatments and equality. They showed us determination and how love can play a big factor on how strong the message comes across to the world. These documentaries also play a key role in encouraging the youth to come together and stand up and not to be afraid, because if you stand together nothing can defeat you. Even today, many homosexuals are still not being treated fairly and they’re still being judged for their actions by the society, even though we are very similar, the problem that we face in the world is that many people aren’t open-minded and are failing to realize that they are just like us - humans. While growing up, we are usually told that gay is not the right way  because society will not accept us, but who is the society to tell us what and who we can like or do? We all have the right to express our feelings and thoughts - at least that’s what we are told. After I finished watching these documentaries, I felt sad to see this type of negative reaction from the society. Even though before watching these documentaries I did not feel any sort of sympathy towards homosexuals, I still would not have treated them as badly as I have seen them being treated in the documentaries. Here is an article on the origins of the disease

12- "Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance" and "Le Peuple Invisible"

by Bianca, Joëlle and Olivier

       We have all learned about freedom. We have learned what it means to be free in different ways. We learned
 about what it means to “speak out loud” and what it means to have your own opinion. Freedom is when you have the right to think, speak or act. In the documentary Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, we learn what freedom of action and expressing ourselves is. The Mohawks were getting their territory removed from them. The documentary shows us the ‘behind the scenes’ of what actually happened on the Mohawk territory and how they fought back to get what they deserve and to get back what is theirs. In Le Peuple Invisible, shows the lives of the Algonquin’s and the struggles they went through. Richard Desjardin shows his side of how the issues between the government and the Algonquin’s have been over the centuries. 

       Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance directed by Alanis Obomsawin was a very strong and dominant film. The Native issues in the village of Oka was disrupted by the government of Québec, or the Whites,  buy taking over their private territory. The film shows how the Mohawks come together to help each other keep what they deserve. The Natives land is a very important part of their culture, history and to their community. The Native tradition is known for keeping its tradition and passing it on to each generation. The elders are known for teaching the children about the nature, the rituals and also story telling. 

      The Whites wanted to build a golf course on top of the cemetery on the Natives land without asking permission of the Mohawks. The police and the army treated the Natives in a very disrespectful way. They treated them as if they had no rights for their land and for themselves as well. The women are very strong and demanding, therefore, they are the power for the land. The women’s role is to stand up to the Whites and protect their land. The men’s role is to protect the community and defend the people. Everyone in the community has a role and responsibility. Promises were often made and broken by the police. 

      This documentary shows the side of our country that we like to ignore which would be racism and colonialism, and it also shows how Canada should keep to its word on how we are a free country.  The government is making people forget their cultures. The Mohawks had set up a blockade on the main highway, not letting anybody through their territory, except for Natives. The Natives were arrested and beaten up for standing up for their rights. Watching this film shows how people can stand up to their rights and do what they can to save their land and not give up. That is one thing the Natives kept saying throughout the film. “We’re not giving up”. They didn’t want to give up and give the police and army the satisfaction of winning, because they didn’t. The Natives were standing up for what they deserve, and what they deserve is freedom. They were not giving freedom by the police and army. They were treated as if they were criminals, when all they did and were aloud to do was stand up and stand out. The weekly topic that we had discussed in class was racism and colonialism. Colonialism is when you deny someone’s culture, and erasing and assimilating it. Racism is the hatred of people because of their race and culture. The government, police and army were trying to get rid of the Natives culture. They we assimilating it. The army and police were making sure they would do every little thing they could do just to make sure that the Natives don’t win and that they got taken over. Québecers were being racist towards the Natives because they didn’t look like them and that they don’t do things the same way as the Québecers. They didn’t like how they looked because it wasn’t how normal people who lives in Québec are supposed to look like. Therefore, freedom does mean that you have to power or right to act, speak or think. The Natives were acting and speaking for their rights and that is not wrong of them to do so. 

   In 2007, the film "Le Peuple Invisible" by Richard Desjardin and Robert Monderie  is a very powerful film that explains the struggle of the Algonquin's from the unacceptable conditions that they live in Canada.  They have been faced through the past five centuries over their territory and rights. In the documentary film, Richard Desjardin has given his point of view of how the Algonquin's have had issues with the government since the 15th century. Throughout the beginning of exploration in Canadian history, the "White People" had taken their land and being forced to move on and find a new home. Unfortunately, all their land was taken and they were compelled to live in reserves with horrible living conditions. The government forced the Algonquin children to go to residential school to learn French in which they were abused sexually and physically by the priest. One of the most disturbing part of that film is at the age of 7 they were forced to go to school for 10 months a year until they are a teenager without seeing their parents. As a matter of fact, the new generation would loose their first language. Hence, is why the converting them was the key for them to loose their heritage. For centuries, the Canadian government has been taking their land that  the treaties offered the Algonquin's very minimal compensation such as 4 dollars per year. Thus, in the 21st century, the Algonquin living conditions has still remain horrible. Their somewhat reserves has been circumscribed to such little area with not a lot of resources such as food for a big population. They live in homes that are inhabitable and do not have all the human needs such as running the water or heat. As a matter of fact, in the documentary a mother was explaining that the electricity can sometimes overheat and burn some houses in which innocent people lost their lives. The mother has lost her own child from this terrible tragedy.  Since the poor economy in the reserves, the Algonquin's are unable to construct new homes. Their homes are not safe. Today, the education for the Algonquin has less importance. Only half of the First Nation youth complete high school but when First Nations youth complete high school, they are twice to be employed. in the film, many First Nations youth has a high rate of suicide from not seeing a point to live when you can go further as education wise.  In the documentary, it shows how the government ( White People) has destroyed the Algonquin's way of life. It has lead a loss of traditions, loss of languages from their ancestors, and a high rate of suicides where mostly are children.

      The main discussion of this impressive documentary in "Le Peuple Invisible" is according to what the government has been taking the land away from the First Nations without respecting their rights. This documentary has shown their turbulent history that dates back over 5,000 years.  Desjardins didn't know who are they. Therefore, he went himself to see the community and interviewed the First Natives. We have seen cousins getting married to each other, their homes, their school and how lost.  However, Le Peuple Invisible is not the only film that which they are explaining the inequality and loss of culture. It can be related to what we watched in class Kaneshsatake: 270 Years of Resistance by Alanis Obomsawin. This film explains why barricades were set up in Oka. There is a convenant to protect their land. It explains everything about the Oka Crisis that happened in Montreal in 1990, when the government wanted to destroy the Native burial ground to make room for the expansion of the Golf course. There are other documentaries in which its related to the film. It explains the struggle of the people of the First Nations being place into reserves that are not the proper place to live in those conditions. Some of the homes have no running water and theres alot of deaths due to the extreme cold weather because their habitat is not safe. Those documentaries are all related with all the same issue because the government has ignored all the rights of the First Nation people. The government has given more freedom to the immigrants than them. Le Peuple Invisible is linked through the discussion of the First Nation for not being given their rights.  The interconnection for them is knowledge, culture and environment. The Natives has a world view on the land and the people. They say that it's a big importance to be one with land. Their rituals of blessings is all connected with the land. However, no alot of people are aware that we are destroying their culture by taking away their land. The title Le Peuple Invisible explains alot on how the government is making their community to be invisible and somewhat can be disappeared forever.    

Le Peuple Invisible trailer :

https://www.nfb.ca/film/invisible_nation/trailer/invisible-nation-trailer

      After watching these two great films on Native communities and their struggles with government conflicts, you realize how us non-native citizens are “put in the dark” on this subject. Being  born in 1995 it amazes me how I or other people my age  weren’t informed much about the Oka Crisis or the conflict the with the clans of up north near Abitibi-Témiscamingue. In both cases, both these communities are forced to give up their land without being given a choice. A life lesson that these events teach you is that you need to fight for what you want, or in this case fight for what is yours. You should never give up even if the going gets tough because that’s when you hit that “breakthrough”. A great example would be the Kanehsatake people; they fought and protested without stopping which resulted with them being victorious. Even when they were close to defeat they continued to fight, which in my opinion made the government realize that they weren’t going to give up so easily. I find that the film makers communicated their ideas very successfully, they enlightened us on facts and events that not many people my age are aware of. The way they used film in this documentary to show us these events was very important because even  with the people being interviewed they gave us all the video proof to see with our own eyes what was happening. Without the camera crews infiltrating the closed reserve not much of this footage could have been used to show us what was happening inside the reserve during the Oka Crisis. Such as the beatings of certain native individuals and the neglect of the incoming weekly food source which was delayed very often.  In my opinion these documentaries don’t really challenge the way we see the world but make us realize as to how much the media and government is trying to avoid bringing up these past events. I believe they do this because they are embarrassed of the actions the committed in the past, and they should be because what they did was wrong. Realizing that what they did was wrong the feel that they should hide it from us, even though these were very important events in our Canadian history. An experience in our society that can relate to these events would have to be Richard Desjardin, he is known for being a separatist. So he made this documentary to tell us and show us that the culture of the natives in these events was taken away from them. So as citizens of Quebec, he wants us to realize and not let our French language die down. He is stating that we shouldn’t make the same mistake as these native people, we shouldn’t just let it happen but we should fight for our culture, we should embrace it and accept it as a multi-cultural society. 

  

    In conclusion, Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance and Le Peuple Invisible both have colonialism in relation to be a Native. The two documentaries show how they both want to stand up for the rights they were given. Le Peuple Invisible and Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance were both dealing with their land taking away from them. They show what standing up for your freedom and rights is and why you’re supposed to be standing up for yourself. There are good reason and bad reason for standing up for your freedom.

11- "Stories We Tell" and "Silverlake Life: A View from Here"

by Sherry, Peter and Émilie

             Who am I? Who are you? Who are we? Those are some of the questions that many of us ask ourselves during our lifetime. As human beings, we often attempt to answer those questions by searching for the truth whether it is by referring to our loved ones, our surroundings, our beliefs and our culture. However, truth is a concept that varies from people to people as its definition is personal and no one is quite the same. In fact, those differences in mentality, in understanding and in perceiving sometimes bring on conflicts as a compromise or an agreement cannot be met. Also, as human beings, we all possess the need, or in some cases, the urgency, to socialize with our kind. Why is that? In short, we all need "witnesses to our life" as without those "witnesses" we might as well be not alive at all...

             This week, in order to come to a "partial" understanding of what the Self, or on a bigger scale, what Life involves, two documentaries were analyze: Stories We Tell by Sarah Polley and Silverlake Life: A View from Here by Tom Joslin and Peter Friedman.

Stories We Tell by Sarah Polley, 2013, Canada, 109 minutes

                This documentary shared many facts of life such as the lost of loved ones, for example, a mother, whether it is due to sickness or old age, and trying to come to a closure once they have passed away. Understanding the past therefore played an important role as it influences the present, the reality as it is known today. The concept of reality is also brought on as it is blurred with the concept of fiction; life can be seen as a performance and a quest for answers, for the truth. However, what is the truth? How can we be sure of the "truth"? Those are some questions that are illustrated in the film. Also, the "norms" established by society are criticized as they often "judge" someone or a situation based on what it appears to be. The role of women, men and family are clearly predetermined according to society and should therefore be "respected" in order to be accepted and considered "normal". Sarah, the filmmaker, not only created a documentary about her mother's, Diane Polley, life but also managed in the process to create a personal journal of her family and herself as well as present a romantic drama and a memoir for her mother. She interrogated all of the people her mother was surrounded with in order to make sense of her past as a child since her mother died when she was eleven years old.

                The documentary is filmed such that the what is usually unseen is presented to the viewers. For example, Sarah' father, Michael, the narrator, is filmed as he reads the story in a studio in order to record his voice for the documentary. At that time, we can see Sarah giving instructions to her dad on recapitulating a part of the story or on the way of delivering the story. We not only witness Diane Polley's life journey and come to understand that she was after all a woman of secrets, but we also participate in the making of the documentary as we can see the steps that Sarah had to undertake in order to create her story, her documentary. The authorship of the documentary is also a special aspect of the film. Even though Sarah is the filmmaker, she makes sure to include all the members of her family as well as some of her mother's friends such that she has a better overview of who her mother truly was. At this point, Sarah finds out that her mother not only had an affair during her first marriage, but also during her second marriage which resulted in her birth. Michael is therefore not Sarah's actual father, Harry, a man with whom her mother worked is her biological father. Once that discovery is made, she includes his vision of her mother in her documentary. She also includes archival footage and reconstitutions of events acted out by actors  such that her mother's life journey seems to be unravelling in front of us. The way she arranges her documentary shows that it is more a matter of emotions than actual facts. For example, when she asks her interviewers to discuss her mother's passing, no words are pronounced, only silent faces of pure sadness are shown.

               This week, during class, the movie was analyzed in a way such that our weekly topic of Self Portraits was exposed. A Self Portrait is basically an artist unveiling itself, showing  a side of their Self that is often hidden or not obvious by using their creativity and imagination as well as by reaching to their viewers, their audience, their "witnesses to life". In this case, Sarah's documentary can be considered as her Self Portrait as she reveals to her audience not only the artist within her but also the person she is as a daughter, a sister and a friend. She offers a perspective of her story, or more precisely, her life from the inside (her own emotions and reactions) and from the outside (her interviewers' emotions and reactions). For example, as she instructs her father Michael on what to do, he replies: "It's not the normal way of doing this, is it?"

Here is a link that offers a short article on an artist's Self Portrait:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/photobooth/2014/02/seeing-themselves-photographers-self-portraits.html#slide_ss_0=1

               The fact that her documentary can relate to basically any human beings since it evokes many facts of life as discussed earlier, shows how the personal aspect of her film also corresponds to a universal aspect of life.

Silverlake Life: A View from Here by Tom Joslin and Peter Friedman, 1993, USA, 99 minutes

                  This documentary presents many issues that are present in society as a whole. The cause of AIDS which also relates to any type of diseases is definitely a subject that is universal. The fact that cures have not been found for this disease as it is for many other diseases made life seem as a "death sentence". However, it also engendered the concept of living to the fullest as if every day was your last day. Then, the concept of vitality was introduced as the filmmakers were searching for "witnesses" for their lives, making them feel more "alive" in their sickness. It gave them a way out of the misery they face every day due to their health conditions. Death was consequently presented in the documentary as well. Also, the fact that the two filmmakers, Tom and Mark, were a gay couple brought on the subject of homosexuality. They then shared the struggles they went through due to their sexual orientation; not being accepted as a person, not being understood and being looked down upon.

                As the documentary was personally filmed by Mark and Tom themselves, their story became even more personal to the viewers as it felt as if the nothing from "real life" was hidden, as if a part of the truth was presented through the film. The fact that the camera showed movement as Tom and Mark moved since they were filming by hand made the viewers feel as if they were right there beside them, feeling the same emotions as them and especially feeling empathy towards them. This "closeness" between the filmmakers and the audience is what made the documentary so special. The viewers could feel the purity behind Tom and Mark's emotions, facial expressions, reactions, etc. Also, the fact that the documentary presents the couple's private life in a way that their life seems universal, that their situation can relate to anyone whether it is by diseases, death, homosexuality and/or by feeling constricted and powerless. The filmmakers talked about subjects that are often avoided in society as they are generally associated to negative thoughts. However, they still managed to show how life is a cycle and that misery can be overcome when there is will.

            This documentary corresponds to a Self Portrait of the two filmmakers, Tom and Mark. However, even though their "self portrait" are personal to each one of them, they are still universal and relate to every single person. For example, Tom brings up the question "What's the Answer?" a few times during the documentary. However, at the end, after Mark repeats that same question, he responds "What's the Question?" This scene can relate to the meaning of truth and how it varies from people to people as the question is never the same therefore the answer is the never the same. Also, the fact that we still don't know what the question nor what the answer is demonstrates the ambiguity present in Truth. The authorship of the documentary is shared between Mark, Tom, their family and friends as their "stories" also help build the couple's story: the documentary itself. After all, their surroundings, their "witnesses to Life" are what confirms that they are alive.

 

For more interesting responses to the documentary Silverlake Life, don't hesitate to visit the website:

 http://www.pbs.org/pov/silverlakelife/

Our Personal Response

Through the two films, one being Stories We Tell that was viewed in class and the other Silverlake Life: A view from here that our group viewed together; there are things that we can learn about ourselves. Sometimes we are afraid to say who we really are based on society’s outlook but more importantly the opinions that we care most about are from our family and friends. This is shown in both films. In Stories We Tell, Diane Polley never reveals to her family about her love affair that resulted in the birth of Sarah, the filmmaker.  She told her close friends but never her family.  Diane had made the newspaper when she divorced her first husband and wasn’t going to make it known that she had a love affair while being with her second husband, Michael. We can assume that the main reason she didn’t tell her family was because she was afraid to hurt her husband, and her children that have grown up to see what their role models of marriage and family were like.  She was afraid to tell her family because she didn’t want them to judge her as well.  We can all relate to this because we never want the ones who are closest to us to judge us or look down upon us for something that we have done.

 Silverlake Life also corresponds to this because when both Mark and Tom were diagnosed with AIDS, Tom felt it was really difficult to tell his family of his diagnosis that would someday cost him his life.  It took Tom a long time to tell his family since both of his parents weren’t fond of the idea that he was with Mark who was of the same-sex as him, but they also weren’t very fond of Mark himself to begin with.  They eventually found out as Mark had been telling people he was diagnosed with AIDS, so  Tom decided he would tell them as well. What prolonged Tom in confiding in his family and finally telling them his diagnosis of AIDS, was the fear of how they would react and think of him, how they would judge him, similar to Diane’s story in Stories We Tell.

What we can learn about ourselves through these films is that our close and loved ones, although it might not seem like it at first, are the ones that are the most understanding and will accept us no matter what we’ve done or what tough conditions that we face in life.  And this can challenge our understanding of the world we live in since we often tend to distance ourselves from the ones we care about when we feel ashamed or when we are affected by something bigger than us such as diseases or even love. We can also relate the messages from these films to our lives, maybe on a smaller scale compared but we can certainly relate to what we have been shown in these films.  For example, going through the loss of a loved one, as in both Sarah’s family and, Mark and Tom’s family, is never easy for anyone. We can also relate to the fear of telling our loved ones something that we are afraid will hurt, affect or disappoint them; we all go through such situations in our lives.

                The filmmakers were very successful at communicating their ideas to their audience through the techniques that they used; their documentaries were created in a way that felt personal to each and every one of us. In Stories We Tell, Sarah interviews, or more precisely, interrogates everybody who was close to her mother Diane in order to get their sides of her mother's story since she wasn’t able to be there to tell it herself.  Her technique of getting her father, Michael, to read his version of her story as Sarah was growing up thinking Michael was her father, and when she found out that Harry, the man her mother had an affair with actually was her biological father, was impactful for the audience as it was unexpected. At this point, we learn that even if Harry is Sarah's biological father, Michael will always remain her father for her. In Silverlake Life, Tom had originally been the filmmaker and started the filming himself, but after he passed away due to his disease, Mark fulfilled his promise by finishing the film for Tom. Mark definitely touched the audience through his act of love. In the film, like Stories We Tell, we see many points of view from family members and friends but also Tom and Mark themselves.  The most powerful way that Tom and Mark communicated their ideas was when they showed the real effects that AIDS had on their everyday lives, so they filmed their everyday lives. “What a way to live, what a way to die.” as Tom said one day when he had to take a break from shopping because he was exhausted.  This is one of the many examples in the film that show the difficulties and hardship that Mark and Tom, but also of all the others diagnosed with AIDS, go through and how the simplest everyday tasks can seem or become unattainable. At the ending, Tom plays a footage of Mark and him healthy, dancing and saying: "What is the Answer? What is the Question?" The fact that they bring up these interrogations reaches the viewers as those same questions are often asked by each and every one of us...but never mentioned at loud.

Here's an interesting article about life:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-happy-life-may-not-be-a-meaningful-life/

              Ultimately, the two documentaries Stories We Tell and Silverlake Life: A View from Here not only correspond to a Self Portrait of the filmmakers themselves, but also imply to the rest of the world as the concepts they present: sickness (or diseases), family, love, truth, questioning and society are definitely applicable to any human being. Through these films we have been able to learn many things about life and ourselves as these two unique stories' filmmakers really did challenge our understanding of the world through the communication of their ideas. However, even if they did address the questions of Who We Are, they did not give precise answers. They only showed that life's purpose is searching for answers. The question remains: Who Are We after all?