With the sprawl of monotonous topics in mainstream movies, it has been increasingly difficult to find a film that both shakes and teaches you something. Apart from independent fiction films, I have always fancied documentaries as a pitchout from the microcosm of my simple life and petty worries. If you never considered yourself a documentary geek, here is a couple of films that should convert you:
- The Cove (Louie Psihoyos)
- Devil's Playground (Lucy Walker)
- Below Sea Level (Gianfranco Rosi)
Last night, at the European Feature Documentary Film Festival "The Magnificent 7" in Belgrade, I saw Below Sea Level, a story about the homeless in California, settled in a camp in the desert, 190 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 120 feet below sea level. With no particular narrative, this film follows the daily lives of several different people ranging from a (former marine) transvestite to a woman who lost her son because he took a bullet for her. It is shocking in many ways, without ever communicating the director's thoughts. I kept expecting the political or sociological message that usually follows plots of this sort but it never came. All of the audio, both dialogue and music, came directly from the characters. No narrative text to answer the many questions rushing through my mind. It was on me to decide. It was on me to react.
The result? Bothered by so many dilemmas, I have been completely distracted by these peculiar Californians. I have been telling their story and recommending the movie to my family, friends, coworkers... Thumbs up to the self-generating marketing move, Gianfranco Rosi!
The result? Bothered by so many dilemmas, I have been completely distracted by these peculiar Californians. I have been telling their story and recommending the movie to my family, friends, coworkers... Thumbs up to the self-generating marketing move, Gianfranco Rosi!
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