As Winter Approaches...

daily Katrina
stranded on cold hard benches
rescuers float by

More Forgiveness

Last night I watched an interesting film, Red Road , a prize winner at the Cannes film festival. Its set in the most depressing place I've ever seen depicted in a film: modern day Glasgow. It really seems even bleaker than the urban setting of Children of Men which was suppose to be set in a type of futuristic hell related to but distant from our own time. The story is about a woman who seeks an elaborate revenge against a man who accidentally (while high on crack) kills her husband and child. Katie Dickie, who I've never seen before, plays the woman in an excellent performance. She reclaims her humanity in the end thus my title but there are some excruciating scenes that capture the depth of her loss. The director and writer are also able to capture the pain and frustration of the aimless youths that populate this urban landscape. A very good film but not an easy movie to watch.

In Praise of Television?

I recently lived for 18 months without a TV and didn't think that I missed it very much. I watched DVDs on the computer, read a lot of books, and got a lot of exercise; all good things. When I moved into my current apartment, I treated myself to a nice 37" inch flat panel HDTV. I still don't watch too much TV but there are a couple of things that are great in HD: sports and nature shows. The only show I'm really hooked on is Sunrise Earth on the Discovery Channel's HD channel. Its simply sunrises in beautiful settings without narration just ambient noise. The image above (Yellowstone) is from the show. Every morning between 7-8 I eat my breakfast and watch most of the show. My neighborhood is a long way from Yellowstone or the Everglades and watching something on TV is no substitute for seeing and exploring on your own but these images certainly help me get in a better frame of mind before leaving for work.

Dimethyltryptamine

My stepson got me interested in underground hip hop. I don't know about the politics/conspiracy aspect of this video but I think the images and rhymes are indicative of the creativity thats out there. Warning: Violent content

How to Start an Argument

I'm definitely in one of my film cycles. I've seen a bunch of movies in the theater this summer and am starting to get back into DVDs at home. The documentary Forgiving Dr. Mengele is the story of a Holocaust survivor who, along with her twin sister, was subjected to experimentation at the hands of Dr. Mengele. She decided a few years ago to publicly forgive Mengele for what he did to her and to all Jews. Her audacity sets off a firestorm in the survivor community. How can she do this? Both sides air their feelings and its impossible, at least for me, to say who is right and who is wrong. I've discussed the film with two Christian friends: one a fundamentalist and the other I would describe as a humanist. Unsurprisingly, they were of different opinions but I was surprised by how animated they were about the topic: what is forgiveness and what are you doing when you forgive someone? I think the answer for each person is found in their own perception of God. A loving God forgives us our sins so who are we not to forgive each other? A sterner God expects us to follow his rules and if not, justice will be meted out in the afterlife. You can be forgiven if you repent but if not, watch out. This film is an excellent conversation starter if you're with people who can remain rational.

The Lives of Others

The German film The Lives of Others was, I believe, the winner of this years Academy Award for best foreign film. Its now out on DVD and I was able to view it a few weeks ago. Despite a recommendation from a friend when it was playing in DC, I passed on it in the theater. It is a great film. Its set in East Germany in 1984 and involves the surveillance of a respected playwright who has never been involved or suspected of being involved in "subversive" anti-socialist activity. The interest of the Stasi (East German secret police) is more personal for the characters involved. The acting is tremendous. The story operates on the most intimate level of its characters as well as on the larger political world. The people who made the film balance these two themes as well as any high wire walker. It would be easy for it to become a heavy handed political drama or a silly melodrama. It doesn't happen. The best film I've seen this year. Some have compared it to Coppola's 1974 film The Conversation with Gene Hackman, another great film. I won't say which I think is better but Coppola's is more about the personal toll on the Hackman character and while The Lives of Others has that element as well, it's story development is broader than just the surveillance. Any lessons my fellow Americans want to take away from the film about the need to keep vigilant about government intrusion to maintain an open society, they are free to take but I'll limit this post to the film itself.