I think it's amazing that a 5-minute short film or a 35-minute documentary can have the power to hit harder than a 2-hour long movie with a $300 million budget. There is an art to creating significant emotional connection and real-world impact without needing extended lengths of time or a Hollywood budget. It blows me away that some directors and writers can do this with such impeccable skill, all the while in such a seemingly effortless manner.
Last class we watched 3 films that were at least nominated for an Oscar, if not were recipients of one. The first film we watched was Happiness is a Traffic Jam on the 405. This documentary presents the life and art of Mindy Alper, a beautiful soul with unimaginable talent and depth, both in her work and in her own self. She has battled a whole handful of mental illnesses and the repercussions of said illnesses her whole life, and her upbringing and the dynamics of her family laid rocky foundations for the rest of her life. She has been committed to mental institutions on several occasions due to her mental illnesses and underwent electroshock therapy that permanently damaged her brain and actually made her unable to speak for years on end. Her 2-D work specifically exposes the depths of her mind and the pain she has experienced by means of gruesome yet childish imagery. The sketches are narrative by nature in an unsettling way but intimately detail what it might be like to live her life and experience the pain she has, does, and will forever feel. The 3-D work shown in this documentary that she held a whole exhibition of toward the end of the film is very much focused on significant individuals in her own life, and representing them with these giant paper mache figures, beautifully pieced together and crafted with precise care and ferocious attention to detail. Mindy's work, both 2-D and 3-D, is grizzly, possesses subtle but significant movement, and speaks measures to the way she experiences the world around her by means of peculiar imagery and honesty in a language of characters. The documentary presents her life and her art in an intensely intimate way, without glamorization or dramatization, and reveals much about the human spirit and the hard fight that so many people face for their entire life. It reveals the highs and lows of Mindy's life, and how even the highest of highs have come with persistent lows that thwart her victories. It was a heart-wrenching film but a beautiful testament to the story of a phenomenal artist and uniquely talented woman who has seen more pain than any one person ever should.
The second film we watched was Period. End of Sentence. This documentary highlights the cultural and religious foundations in India that result in there being an outrageous stigma around menstruation, and the horribly dangerous and heartbreakingly unnecessary repercussions of that stigma. They explore in depth the movement taking place in a village near Delhi which aims to initiate a greater availability of pads to women and girls in the country. Women within the village are taught how to operate a new machine which allows them to manufacture pads, then go out to sell them to nearby shops and individuals. This is a tale of empowerment, justice, and pride that can inspire and uplift not only women within India who are directly experiencing the results of this movement, but people of all demographics all across the globe. It's unbelievable that some women face such religious and/or social oppression and limitation because of the natural process of menstruation and this film successfully exposes even just a glimpse of that struggle, which is extremely important for people in other countries to see. This documentary brought light to the broad issue briefly and effectively then dove headfirst into highlighting the boldness and success of the women who are fighting for what they deserve. I love the way it presented these women who, in their culture, are not expected to be the breadwinners of their families. It took the time to show who they were expected to be, who they actually were, and who they wanted to be. It revealed the beauty, passion, and boldness within the women willing to take part in something so against the grain of their society and what is perceived as proper. This is the kind of film that has great strength not in an action-packed plotline or especially compelling cinematography, but in its reality, relevance, and the power of empathy working within it.
The last film we watched in class was Black Sheep. This short presents the story of a boy named Cornelius and his experience with severe racism after his family moving into a new community when he was a teenager. Cornelius, who is now a grown man, is shown speaking to his interviewer as well as to viewers of the film about his journey from being a victim of hatred and horrific physical violence to pursuing the act of changing who he was in order to be more like the people who attacked him so that they would accept him, despite that meaning losing parts of his own self. The film alternates between footage of real-life Cornelius and staged footage of a teenaged Cornelius and his peers during the time of his self-exploration and painful pursuit of identity by means of human acceptance. It exposes the depth of his pain and reveals insight that can give viewers a chance to experience a small piece of his struggle and his mentality and then connect with it enough to potentially comprehend actions that could be really difficult to justify or wrap your head around otherwise. This film is full of sorrow, harsh reality, deep ventures into human nature, and a bold message about the effects of racism. Though it's really hard to soak in without being overcome with some amount of grief, anger, or pain, there is a piercing beauty in the rawness and honesty of this film and even in its lack of a resolution. The filmmakers didn't try to make something "okay" that was not, in fact, okay. They didn't try to wrap everything up in a bow and leave viewers feeling satisfied. There is an art to that within a film like this.
Upon watching each of these films, it feels rather strange to label Happiness is a Traffic Jam on the 405 as my "favorite" of the three, but let's see if I can try to explain why. I think there's sometimes a preconceived notion that something being your favorite has to mean it made you the happiest or brought you the most enjoyment but in this case, that's most definitely not my definition. Hearing Mindy tell her story, witnessing even a glimpse of the battle she faces every day with her health (both physical and mental), and experiencing her art was heartbreaking, captivating, nauseating, and inspirational all at once. The film ended and I just sat there with a boulder in my stomach and tears in my eyes, trying my hardest to avoid a complete emotional breakdown in the middle of our classroom. It unsettled my heart, touched my soul, and stimulated the creative side of my brain at the same time and gave me a refreshed lens by which to see art as well as people.
To me, every one of these films was worthy of being nominated for an Oscar, but each for its own unique reason. Happiness is a Traffic Jam on the 405 captivates and stirs creatively in its directness and subtlety and tasteful presentation of incredibly heavy subject matter and an intricately multifaceted artist. Period. End of Sentence is effective and inspirational as well as informative in the way it brings light to a culture and focuses on presenting a powerful, real, uplifting story. Black Sheep brilliantly exposes a harsh reality in engaging reenactments and raw interview footage and allows viewers to gain a unique perspective in an incredibly striking fashion.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my rambling! I hope your week has been lovely so far.
Here is where you can access each of the films I mentioned in this blog:
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 { https://vimeo.com/259229361 password: Heaven }
Period. End of Sentence { on Netflix }
Black Sheep { https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2018/11/03/black-sheep/In }
{Today's mind/heart/soul-healthy challenge: Think about your favorite color. Why is it your favorite? How long has it been your favorite? If you were in a room entirely comprised of things that color, how would you feel? Reflect on the color itself and where you might've drawn forth the connection you have with it.}
*MAKE TODAY STORY-WORTHY.*