I Love Documentaries

You know, I think I like movies in general but I've found a real sweet spot in my heart for documentaries. I haven't seen a lot of them but nearly every one I have I've thoroughly enjoyed. I think the appeal for me is the simplicity and factual-basis of the material. There is nothing contrived, nothing scripted, per se, just reality and one author's take on it. I think of them as visual essays with interesting ideas to ponder. (If you know me, you know I like to think and understand how other people see things. It should come as no surprise that I like documentaries.) Since they are essays, this also means that though they use reality or facts to make a case or an example, they are not necessarily "true". That said, here are some of my favorites because, though I may not agree with the author's conclusion, the ideas are presented well and the films provide great food or thought and discussion.

Supersize Me You'll never look at fast-food (or eating in general) the same way. The simple premise of the author: if I were to become McDonald's favorite customer and eat their food for every meal, every day for one month, how would it effect my health? Without really giving anything away I'll tell you: not positively. Even the three or four doctors this author hires to check up on him periodically were surprised at just how bad things got. Along the way the author also looks at the food industry in the US in general and makes a good case for taking diet more seriously.

The Lost Boys of Sudan A simply remarkable film. The story of a handful of orphans from the massacre in Sudan as they make the transition to life in the US. The author's choose to tell their story by being as uninvolved in the their subject's lives as possible. They just show up with a camera and follow the guys around. The end result is quite remarkable as they are able to get footage and "inside views" that would be hard to do any other way. It takes a little getting used to (no narrator, no guide through the story) but the power of simplicity is evident when all is said and done.

For me, what was most impacting was realizing just how easy it can be to be a helpful to those who come from other cultures. The film is so well done; it is easy to empathize with these young men, fresh from the African bush, as they try to make sense of things like electric appliances and street basketball. The film makes a clear case for ministries that focus on making foreigners feel welcome here in the US. In fact, as the author's point out in their commentary, the churches in these boy's lives were the most active in helping them with getting settled in the US. Too bad more of us in the Christian faith are not involved in this way. I know there are plenty of opportunities here in Wichita that I just haven't made a priority in my life. Yet.

Touching the Void More a docu-drama than a true documentary. A true story told by the men involved in a very serious and absolutely incredible mountain climbing accident. As one of my friends put it, "I get cold just thinking about what they went through." Probably more appealing to the adventure-some male audience but pretty accessible to all.

Voices of Iraq I just saw this the other day and I can't recommend it enough. Unfortunately, distribution is pretty limited right now so, outside of Netflix, I don't know how to get a hold of it. All the footage of the film was provided through the use of ~150 digital video cameras that were distributed around the country of Iraq. Whoever ended up with the camera was encouraged to tell their story, tell people about their lives. The range of opinions and views expressed is incredible and, best of all, the story is told by Iraqis themselves. This is the story of Iraq told by Iraq.

Born Into Brothels Another great, great film. A documentary still-photographer working in the red-light district of Calcutta gets attached to some of the kids of the prostitutes and decides to teach them photography.

If you have a heart for social action and social justice, this is a good film to see. Not only is the need for involvement made clear but the difficulties presented by culture and the people in need themselves becomes evident. What happens when you try to enroll the child of a prostitute in school? What can be done for a child who's family does not recognize the value of education? The problems of "circumstance" and poor decisions cannot be more clearly demonstrated. And through it all, these unwanted children are still kids just like any others. Seeing the world through their photographs is simple wonderful.

Not Special Here

This past weekend on a trip back from seeing a good friend of mine get married and seeing my sister begin her college career at Trinity Western University (both conveniently located near Vancouver BC) I ended up with some time to kill in the Denver airport. I had about forty-five minutes so after walking up and down the concourse a few times in an attempt to do more than sit all day I stopped by one of the bookstores that litter nearly every airport in the US. As I was perusing the latest pop fiction that seem to be the staple of these type of establishments I heard two rather loud people walk into the store. Their voices gave them away very quickly: younger, black, female. What ensued was probably one of the most interesting comments on race relations I have experienced first-hand.

After not being able to find the book they were looking for they approached the clerk for help.

"Where are your books by black people?"

The (white) clerks, both of them, didn't catch the question and one of them asked her to repeat it.

"Where are the books by black authors?"

With a sweeping gesture that encompassed the whole store one of them answered, "Mixed in with everything else."

The gal who had been silent up to this point turned to her friend and responded, "We're not special here."

Now, before I go on, you've got to understand something about me. My cross-cultural relations have been fairly extensive. Unfortunately for me, hardly any of my friends are black and seeing as how this seems to be the most pertinent ethnicity in the current cultural climate I feel somewhat confused and perplexed by black culture at times. My four years of attending a university situated squarely in what can only be described as a black ghetto helped some but not as much as you might hope.

From my white, suburban perspective the fact that this bookstore didn't organize it's wares with regard to ethnicity seemed to be a statement (if that can be even ascribed to the management of an airport bookstore's wares) or racial equality. Level playing field all the way around. It was clear, though, by the look on both of these young ladies' faces, that this answer was not satisfactory. I would even say that, based on the way they walked out and continued to turn back to give the store clerk dirty looks, that they were offended that no such section existed and felt that they weren't being treated fairly.

If this little slice of life is an accurate reflection of the state of racial relations between the white and black communities then I think we have, despite all our efforts, somehow missed the boat and have a lot of work left to do. Any suggestions?