200 Movies, 1 Woman, 1 Blog

Bploi wai dtaai: Leave Her to Die, 2008, Canada

This documentary is about Avis Rideout, and her plight to care for orphaned children living with AIDs in Northern Thailand. She runs an orphanage called “Agape” and currently has more than 70 children in her care.

It was a very interesting documentary, but I had some problems with the voice over. At one time, the voice over stated that “since 1977…”, Rideout has been running this orphanage. That isn’t possible, because AIDS was not reported in Thailand until 1984! AIDs wasn’t reported, period until 1981, but it did exist prior to that – there just wasn’t an official “name” or any real understanding of the disease.

As someone who likes things to be accurate, that voice over really bothered me. To confirm the error, I went to Agape’s website and confirmed that Nikki, the inspiration for the orphanage and the young girl Rideout adopted, was born in 1992. I imagine this error occurred because Rideout was speaking about the Khmer Rouge regime and living in Thailand as she saw refugees and dead bodies being taken over the border from Cambodia. Pol Pot, who Rideout saw in person, was in power from mid-1975 until 1979. From 1979 until his death, he maintained control of the Khmer Rouge party.

While it can definitely be unclear which time period Rideout was talking about, research would have clarified that for the editors and the director.

The error was quite jarring and took me out of the documentary. It’s a shame, because it is otherwise a very interesting and touching film. Rideout is an extraordinary woman, and she cares so much about the orphans at Agape. Every orphan receives love and attention, and they are educated so that they will be able to have a good future. They believe that the children live longer because the love they receive gives them a reason to fight when they are ill.

I found the documentary on the Documentary Channel. It’s worth seeing to learn more about this inspiring woman and the good she is doing in Thailand. The voice over error at the beginning of the documentary is simply a lesson in the importance of doing your research and checking sources. Editing for clarity is also key to making a good documentary.

The Boys of Buchenwald, 2002, Canada

This 60 minute documentary looked at an aspect of the Holocaust that I knew little about. After the liberation of Buchenwald, it was discovered that there were about 1000 young boys living in the camp. Most of these boys had no relatives, and they needed a place to go. Therefore, homes in France, Switzerland and the UK were established. This documentary looked at a few of the boys who lived in France, and their experiences adjusting from the horrors of camp life to a normal existence.

The documentary was very touching. The interview subjects were very open about their experiences at the home, and how difficult it was to adjust to a normal life. Elie Wiesel was one of the interview subjects, as he lived in the French home for a few years following his liberation from Buchenwald.

Society had given up on these young boys. Many people thought that, because of the things they’d experienced, they’d be psychopaths. That could not be further from the truth. These men built fulfilling and successful lives. The foster brother of one interview subject, Robbie Waisman, explained that Waisman was even more eager to live because of everything that he had seen in his life. He went out and partied, dated, and eventually got married. I really enjoyed Waisman’s stories. His story of the first time he was able to really feel emotion after liberation had me in tears.

I highly recommend this documentary. These men really display the strength of the human spirit. They had been through so much as young boys, but they found each other, became family, and rebuilt their lives. It was very inspiring. But at the same time, it was also very sad. The Holocaust was overwhelmingly terrible. It’s hard for me, as a woman who has never experienced true hunger or physical suffering to imagine what they went through. I know what they went through, of course, as I’ve studied the Holocaust quite extensively, but I can’t really imagine it. I can’t imagine going through what they did and being able to rebuild after the fact. They truly are extraordinary.

I recorded this documentary off of the Documentary Channel. Please watch this documentary if you have a chance to do so. It was so inspiring and really made me think about my own life. I’m very lucky to live the life that I do, and I think that, sometimes, I take my luck for granted. I’m going to try not to do that, because I’ve never been beaten, starved or threatened.

Racism

As I searched for a photo for this blog entry, I came across a website that really depressed me. I will not link to it, because it does not deserve the attention of any of my readers. The website was dedicated to discrediting Wiesel as a Holocaust survivor. Anyone who does even the slightest bit of research knows that the very idea of Wiesel not being a Holocaust survivor is absolutely ridiculous. So I knew that the creator of this website was using Wiesel to make a very thinly veiled racist attack. So I looked up this individual’s name and, sure enough, they had a personal website. I visited it, and it was full of Holocaust denial articles that she had written. She also praised people who had been jailed for Holocaust denial in Germany. What a disgusting human being. Reading the crap that she wrote just drove home the necessity of education about history. If we forget the terrible events of the past, we are bound to repeat them.

It was just infuriating to read this woman’s drivel. Racism and other prejudices are learned, so I fear for her children. She was seeking donations via PayPal, so I think I will be reporting her website. She should not be receiving donations from PayPal to fund a racist website.

Another film…

This afternoon, I went to see Sarah’s Key, which is also about the Holocaust. I’ll be posting my review of the film tomorrow or the day after!

7 Days of Remembrance and Hope, Canada

This 63-minute documentary follows six young people as they travel to Europe to remember the atrocities of the Second World War. Each of them have their own history and culture – some were immigrants who were forced to leave their countries of origin because of war and persecution. Others were history students wanting to see European history first hand.

Every year, thousands of people visit the German concentration camps in Poland to remember those who were murdered by the Nazis. It’s a trip I’ve wanted to make, myself. It was an emotional trip for all of them, and the six students (as part of a group of 60) bonded over the experience. They spoke of being united, despite their cultural differences, and that this union was everything the Nazis fought against.

The most interesting individual in this film was Ola. She was a University student, and a Palestinian rights activist. In an interview, she stated that she would always fight whenever she saw human rights being violated. I wanted to hear more from her. In fact, I wanted to hear more from everyone in the documentary. I felt like it was a bit short and rushed. Seven days were covered in only 63 minutes. The movie may be on the shorter side for budgetary reasons or because that’s how long the film was required to be, but I think another 20 minutes would have been very beneficial.

The students were able to listen to many different speakers who survived the Holocaust. The documentary had footage of pieces of their talks, but I would have liked to have seen more of what they had to say. The speakers were so moving and fascinating to listen to, and when the documentary returned to the subjects being followed, it felt very sudden. They were very lucky to have been able to meet such amazing speakers and listen to the stories they had to tell.

The documentary may have been a little short, but it’s still worth a watch if you can catch it on TV. I think that everyone should learn about the Holocaust and other terrible war crimes, so that history does not repeat itself.

Gloriously Free, 2004, Canada

This was a powerful hour-long documentary about five gay men and their experiences as immigrants to Canada.  Most of the men featured in the documentary applied for refugee status because they were persecuted in their home countries.  They were beaten up, threatened, and even imprisoned by family members.

It was moving to hear the stories of these men.  They were very open about their lives before coming to Canada, and they are all very grateful to be in Canada.  Canada has become known as a safe haven for gay individuals who are being persecuted in their countries of origin.  This makes me feel proud to be a Canadian.  But, as the documentary points out, there are still improvements to be made.  If you apply for permanent residency, you have to wait a long time to get the results of your application.  And many men and women are still denied refugee status despite the risk of persecution in their country or origin.  This documentary is seven years old, so I can only hope that our immigration laws have improved since then.

I’ve spent my entire life in Canada and I’ve never experienced persecution, so the stories these men told really stuck with me.  I’ve long been aware that men and women around the world face persecution for being gay, and this documentary really made me think about it.  It made me feel very sad.  I hate that there are countries in this world where a gay person is not seen as being human.  Where songs are written advocating the murder of gay people.  And countries where it’s perfectly acceptable to torture or murder someone based on their sexual orientation.

I’m really glad I came across this documentary.  It really brought this issue to the front of my mind.  I feel so lucky to be Canadian.

One of the men featured in the documentary, Al-Hussein, has founded a gay rights organization for Muslims known as Salaam.  The website is fairly limited, but it sounds like an extremely important organization.

As you can probably guess, I found this documentary on the Documentary channel. It’s fast becoming my favourite channel!

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, 2011 USA

This documentary played tonight in Winnipeg. There was one show, and this is the only night it was scheduled to play. I bought my ticket the day they went on sale. The screening was not sold out – I’d say about half the seats had been sold, but I needed the peace of mind that came with having a ticket weeks ahead of time.

It was a fantastic documentary that looked at Conan O’Brien’s state of mind during his “Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television” tour. We see a man who truly can’t stop working, even when burnout starts to become an issue. O’Brien is in a very dark place at this time, as a result of losing The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. At times he’s very moody, and displays a very sharp sense of humour.

I’ve heard people say that this documentary was a bad idea, because O’Brien is just drawing attention to a dark and negative side of him. But I think that argument is a bit excessive. I didn’t leave the documentary respecting O’Brien any less, or feeling that he was some sort of jerk. I saw a more human side of him. Yes, he does get cranky, and he hurts like any other human being. Society tends to put celebrities on this huge pedestal, and expect them to behave perfectly at all times. But celebrities are human beings, and sometimes they’re in a bad mood. O’Brien was always very good with his fans in the documentary, but he did sometimes show that he was irritated after encountering them. I don’t begrudge him for that one bit.

We also got to see him interact with his family (including his children), and joking around with his employees. It was such an intimate look into his life, and I don’t think it’s the type of thing we’ll ever see again. When he’s on TV, he’s always very dressed up, and “on”. But in this documentary, we see him after he gets off stage – when he’s disheveled, exhausted, and just being himself.

Rodman Flender, an old friend of O’Brien’s, really gave him a gift when he made this film. Yes, this time was a tumultuous time in his life, but it was also a beautiful time. Throughout this time, O’Brien’s fans were really vocal and supportive, as were all of the people around him. And he had this awesome opportunity to interact with people all across North America. I do think all of this ended up being a bit of a blessing in disguise because, personally, I think Conan is the far superior show, because he has the freedom to do and say whatever he wants. Ultimately, isn’t that more fun than censoring yourself and trying to fit into a mold that wasn’t built for you?

This documentary is a must-see for any O’Brien fan. Get your hands on a copy right away!

Once a Nazi, 2006, Canada

This documentary follows Adalbert Lallier, a former Waffen-SS member as he returns to Germany to testify against one of his colleagues.  55 years ago, Lallier witnessed his superior officer murder seven Jewish individuals at the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Lallier had kept his past as an SS member secret from almost everyone.  He had become an economics professor at Concordia University, and one of his closest friends was a Holocaust survivor.  Lallier had not murdered anybody in the camps, and was not under suspicion for any crimes.  He voluntarily admitted his past to his friend, and then to a private investigator, who arranged for him to return to Germany to testify at the trial.  Testifying at the trial was done voluntarily – something that hasn’t happened very much.  The documentary stated that SS members were sworn to secrecy, and generally won’t testify in court because there’s a general consensus among members that God should judge them.  Most former members claim that they cannot remember what happened, or are vague about who was present when crimes were committed.

The documentary brought up the question of whether somebody who once wore an SS uniform is always a member of the SS.  Publicly, the generally consensus is “yes”.  I’ve been fascinated by World War II history for many years, and I’ve taken a few University courses covering that time period, and I know how brutal and horrific members of the SS could be.  So as I watched the film, I wasn’t inclined to give Lallier a “free pass” for being a member of the SS.  After all, he was at the camp and fully aware of what was going on within the camp.  A historian interviewed within the documentary stated that had he spoken up and defended the Jewish people, he would have been killed himself.  I understand that argument, but why did Lallier wait 55 years?  Why not speak up right after the war?

Lallier is obviously very remorseful and built a shrine at the spot where these seven murders occurred.  Viewers could tell that their deaths impacted his life very heavily.  In many ways, Lallier himself was a victim.  He was a victim of Nazi indoctrination, and experienced racism in the SS himself, because he had dark skin and didn’t speak German “properly”.  But I’m torn as to how much sympathy he should receive.  Testifying at the trial and speaking up about what he witnessed is very admirable, but he still enabled the deaths of many innocent people.

But then again, should a person be condemned forever over the dumb choices they made in their youth?  This was a very thought provoking documentary, and I’m still torn about how I feel about Lallier.  The filmmakers showed him in a very sympathetic light, but I’m not sure if he should necessarily be seen as entirely sympathetic.

I encourage everyone to check out this documentary.  You can purchase a copy of the DVD on the film’s website.

I recorded this documentary off the Documentary Channel. I’ve got several others recorded as well. It’s an excellent channel!

The annual seal hunt in Canada is a very controversial thing.  Animal rights activists regularly use images of white coat harp seals to portray the seal hunters as inhumane monsters.  There have been calls to boycott Canadian seafood products.  This advertising is deceptive, because white coated harp seals have not been legally hunted for decades.

This seal has lost its white coat, so it is legal to hunt it.

This French-Canadian documentary shows the other side of the hunt.  For several years, I’ve been supportive of the seal hunt as a means of revenue for individuals on the Atlantic coast.  I believe that it is fine to hunt animals as long as, as much of the animal as possible is used.  I don’t care for the slaughter of animals merely for their fur (though I wouldn’t say I’m anti-fur), but I do believe that it is perfectly fine to respect wildlife and hunt them for their resources.  As I saw in the documentary, almost all of the seal is used.  Their flesh is consumed, collagen is extracted from flesh and used for medicinal and research purposes.  Oil can be derived from seal blubber and used as a fuel.

Seal hunting was looked at from an ecology perspective.  There are over five million harp seals, and the hunt is one of the most tightly regulated in the world.  The population is never in danger of being depleted. The documentary stated that almost all ecology groups in Quebec are in favour of the seal hunt.  It is the animal welfare groups that are opposed to it.

From the interviews with the hunters in the film, I saw individuals that greatly respect the seals.  They take great care in ensuring the animals are killed without suffering.  One hunter described how he understands the significance of taking a life, and how that life must be respected.

The film showed footage of hunters killing seals using the traditional hakapik.  It also showed footage of a pig being slaughtered.  This footage was difficult to watch, but I’ve never hunted or been involved in slaughtering an animal.  Of course it’s frightening to me.  It’s easy for me to pretend that meat was not once alive, because I’m so distant from it.  But the reality is that an animal had to give its life to provide the meal on my plate, so perhaps it’s better that I acknowledge that life.  The death of the animal may have looked brutal, but I trust the research that has been done that states that current slaughter methods (and the method used to kill seals) is humane when done correctly.

International media is very one-sided on this issue.  They take footage that looks brutal, and paint hunters with a very cruel brush.  These individuals are not murderers.  They work hard to make roughly $28,000 a year.  The celebrities and representatives of the Humane Society of the United States all make far more than that.  Is it fair to steal away the livelihood of a group of people just because it’s an uglier livelihood than yours? I don’t think so.  I wish international media would just talk to some of the seal hunters, or even just watch this film.  Understand the other side of the story.

I feel that animal rights groups focus on the seal hunt because seals are adorable creatures.  It’s easy to pluck at the heartstrings of people because it IS sad to see a cute animal die.  But why don’t they shift their priorities to a legitimate ecology and animal rights issue?  For example, Bluefin tuna is critically endangered.  One fish can sell for over $100,000, which makes them a prized commodity on the fish market.  They’re a delicacy and commonly served in sushi.  These fish could be extinct in less than 25 years.  Why aren’t they putting Bluefin tuna on posters and protesting the fishermen who fish them? It’s because they aren’t cute and wouldn’t generate the fundraising revenue the seal hunt does.

It’s all about money.  Images from the hunt are manipulated to look despicable, when the reality is that these hunters are just trying to make a living.

I know this is a pretty heated topic, so I hope any discussion that comes as a result of this blog post remains civil. I recognize that many people share differing opinions on this issue and I do respect those opinions (and, in fact, I was once against the seal hunt in my youth).

I need to see Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop. As many of you know, I’m adore Conan O’Brien. He’s an amazing comedian. My heart broke when NBC replaced him with Jay Leno. But I admired O’Brien’s integrity and determination to stand by his principles, even if it meant giving up the show he’d dreamed of hosting.

During that time, I realized once again that O’Brien was not just a fantastic comedian, but a really decent human being. I swore that I’d try not to ever miss an episode of his new show when he got off the air. I was so busy with school when The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien aired, and I didn’t see as many episodes as I would have liked. So when Conan started, I recorded every single one of them. And I’ve watched them all (or at least the monologue).

I’ll often save them up for a day when I’m feeling stressed or sad because it always cheers me up. Other times I’ll watch an episode or two to unwind after a busy day. It’s a great stress reliever.

I was excited when I first heard about the documentary that was made, because I’d like more insight into how he was feeling during his comedy tour. I imagine he would have been feeling very depressed, but also anxious to work. The documentary looks very poignant and funny. O’Brien has talked about how the movie documents a very dark period in his life, and how we see some of the very worst moments of his while he is on the tour.

Needless to say, I’ll be seeing it in theatres if it gets released here. You can watch the trailer here.

One of my goals is to travel to California to go to a taping of Conan. I’d love it if Conan made fun of me on the air. Hopefully I’ll make it out there in the next few years.

Thanks to my boss, I received tickets to attend a Vaudeville show at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre tonight. There were six acts in the show, and the show was put on for a documentary that was being shot. MTS Winnipeg On Demand sponsored the show and provided funding for the documentary.

I’d be curious to see the documentary, and not only to see if I made it in any shots. I didn’t know much about Vaudeville but it was very interesting. I really liked the style of music that was played in the background and the costumes. The acts were very upbeat and fun, and every performer oozed charisma.

By far the best act of the evening was Dean Gunnarson’s. Gunnarson is a well-known escape artist. Gunnarson made several references to Harry Houdini and his lesser known brother, Hardeen. Hardeen had performed in Winnipeg twice – on the very stage Gunnarson was performing on. During the show, Gunnarson escaped from ropes two audience members tied, and he escaped from a large jug onstage. It was very tense.

The MC of the night was excellent. He got the audience into the show and he interacted with a young girl in the front row. During Gunnarson’s segment, he had the audience hold their breath and every 15 seconds he would ask us to raise our hands if we were still holding it. When we had all lowered our hands he reminded us that we would be dead now if we were in the jug. As a claustrophobic person, I was very glad not to be in that jug.

I really appreciated the use of the Pantages Playhouse Theatre for this show. The theatre is a historical theatre, and still has a red curtain and original decorations. It’s a beautiful theatre. It was built in 1914 and vaudeville theatre was commonly performed there.

Each act that was performed came from a book found at a demolition site. The book detailed the vaudeville acts that were performed in Winnipeg. It was very interesting to know that I was seeing theatre that had originally been performed decades ago.

I will be watching out for the documentary because I think it will be very interesting!

Suicide Mission to Chernobyl, 1991, USA

Recommended by: Budo

I had a hard time finding the name of this documentary. It was recommended to me under the name “Inside the Sarcophagus” and the YouTube upload was titled as such. But when I Googled it, I only found the YouTube video. I knew it was a Nova documentary so after a bit of research, I discovered that this was its “real” title.

I’ve been reading a lot about Chernobyl these past few days as a result of the nuclear plant issues in Japan. It’s been depressing but incredibly fascinating. My friends and I are talking a lot about it. I can’t help but worry about the Fukushima plant and the areas surrounding it. I don’t want this to be another Chernobyl. I don’t want the area around the plant to be contaminated for the next thousands of years.

This documentary that I watched tonight was a little dated (it talked about a new sarcophagus needing to be built and one is currently being built). A camera crew followed a group of scientists who entered into the plant to look for the remains of the fuel rods. This fuel was feared to cause another explosion.

The saddest thing about this documentary was the clothing the scientists wore. The cameramen wore proper equipment with oxygen masks to minimize radiation exposure. The scientists wore cotton masks. These individuals went in there day after day for the sake of science and safety and they’re likely all dead or facing terrible health problems. They knew what they were subjecting themselves to, unlike many of the soldiers, firemen and workers who built the sarcophagus. They knew they would likely die, but they did it to better our world. They, and everyone who worked at Chernobyl are heroes.

The version of the documentary I watched wasn’t perfect. It was a YouTube upload and some parts repeated or cut out. The video was dim at times as well. But that didn’t really matter. I was watching for the information and the interviews and narration are both haunting. Some of the footage from inside the sarcophagus is terrifying. There’s footage of the scientists working, and footage of cooled “lava” formations. One of these formations was huge and was so hazardous that the scientists had to shoot the formation in order to break it apart and get samples. They couldn’t go near it because the radiation would have killed a person in minutes.

The scary thing about nuclear power is that when something goes wrong, it goes permanently wrong. There are large deadzones as a result of Chernobyl. I fear this will happen in Japan. To stop disaster in a nuclear power plant, people have to die. It’s the sad truth. Last night, radiation levels became dangerously high at the plant in Japan and everyone was evacuated out. Imagine how much radiation these brave workers have been exposed to. Many of them are refusing to leave because they’re committed to doing whatever they can to prevent disaster. They know what they’ve gotten themselves into but they see it as their duty. I hope they all make it out of this alive, but I fear they’ll become seriously ill sometime in the future because of this.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for them and their families. I can’t bear the thought of a loved one doing what these workers are doing. The emotions would be very overwhelming. On one hand, I’d be proud of them for doing such a brave thing, but I’d be devastated…for obvious reasons. I can’t imagine being in their position, either. It must be an extraordinarily difficult thing to do.

My thoughts are with everyone in Japan. The world feels your pain and the world is standing by your side.