Archive for the 'Doc Soup' Category

For The Bible Tells Me So

Published
by
James McNally
on October 14, 2007
in Doc Soup, Documentaries, Film Festivals, Hot Docs and Theatrical Release
. 1 Comment

For The Bible Tells Me So

For The Bible Tells Me So (Director: Daniel Karslake): This documentary came to my attention through Joel Heller’s excellent site Docs That Inspire, before it played at Sundance this past January. The film explores the intersection of homosexuality and religion, particularly among conservative Christians, and as such, it tackles a subject near and dear to me. I spent many years immersed in the evangelical subculture and went through the very painful coming-out experience of a close friend. This is exactly the sort of film I wish we’d had in the early 90s. Through the experiences of five Christian families, each with a gay or lesbian child, we watch as real people struggle to integrate their love for their families with their own beliefs and experiences. But this isn’t the typical confrontational sort of film many of us have seen before. Instead, we meet clergy who have wrestled honestly with what the Bible says, and who are able to reconcile their faith with acceptance of gay and lesbian people. It’s gut-wrenching stuff, and not everyone will be convinced by the theology, but at least it gets people discussing the meaning of the disputed biblical passages, rather than just quoting them.

I particularly liked that not all the families are the same. Some still struggle to accept what they perceive to be their child’s “sinful” lifestyle, while others have gone on to political activism (in some cases, even to the point of being arrested!). Karslake has made a very wise choice by adopting the name of a particularly obstinate opponent of gay rights, Focus on the Family, as his theme. By focussing on the real families and experiences of gay people, he removes much of the apprehension and fear of straight people, especially religious straight people. I loved the way he introduced each family by having the parents explain how they themselves met and fell in love. It showed us that attraction and romance are at the root of all of our families, and that the relationships of gay people are really not much different than anyone else’s.

If I have any misgivings about the film, they are relatively minor. One is the use of a short animated segment to try to explain some of the recent scientific research around homosexuality. I thought the tone was a little too self-consciously light-hearted and I thought the segment was largely unnecessary. The other quibble was that earlier in the film, Focus on the Family’s Dr. James Dobson is (rightfully) called out for comparing advocates of gay marriage to Hitler, but then later, actual footage of Hitler is used to describe the persecution of gay people. I don’t think you can have it both ways.

Nevertheless, this is a fair, generous, and incredibly moving portrait of real people trying to reconcile their deepest-held beliefs with their very identities of themselves or of those closest to them. I’m not ashamed to tell you that I was moved to tears several times. Despite that, I think it’s a film that would move others who are perhaps not quite so close to the issues. My wife and I have a running joke. We’ve got the great idea that if only fundamentalist Christians and gay people could actually meet each other instead of hurling insults across the divide, much understanding and even reconcilation could be achieved. I’ve offered to hold a series of dinner events called “Fags and Fundies” to which we could invite quite a few of our friends. I think I’ve found the perfect film to get the discussion started.

NOTE: The film is showing in various venues in the US in the coming months, but so far, there are no Toronto screening dates. Check the film’s site for any changes, and look for a DVD release in the coming months.

UPDATE (January 9, 2008): The film’s Toronto premiere will be tonight at the Bloor Cinema as part of the Doc Soup programme. Director Daniel Karslake will be in attendance. Screenings at 6:30pm and 9:15pm.

Official web site of the film

Docs That Inspire’s Joel Heller interviews director Daniel Karslake

Soulforce, an organization of gay and lesbian Christians and their straight allies fighting religious bigotry

PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)

9/10(9/10)

Souvenirs

Published
by
Jay Kerr
on April 5, 2007
in Doc Soup and Documentaries
. Closed
Souvenirs

Souvenirs (Directors: Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat, Israel, 2006): This documentary had its Canadian premiere at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto tonight. Souvenirs received a Best Documentary Award at the 2006 Doc Aviv Festival.

37 year-old Shahar Cohen went to film school for five years. Two years ago, he was unemployed, living in Jerusalem and wanted to make a film. The subject? His 82-year-old father, Sleiman, who had served in World War II with the Jewish Brigade.

The angle? His father had a few girlfriends in Holland and it’s possible that he might have left behind some “souvenirs” — children by two Dutch women.

So, father and son go on a road trip through Europe in search of lost lovers and siblings. What transpires is a charming and funny adventure where Sleiman and Sharar get to know each other better. The film also explores the role of the Jewish Brigade in the British army during the war.

I enjoyed Souvenirs a lot. Sleiman and his son aren’t very close but by the end of the film they make a connection that strengthens their relationship. You also gain some insight into life during the war through Sleiman’s many stories. And of course there are a few surprises along the way as Sharar tries to find out if he has any brothers or sisters from his father’s Dutch girlfriends.

Shahar Cohen was on-hand for a Q&A after the film. I was surprised to find out that he had written a script for his documentary film! The script was completed before filming but only used as an outline for how Shahar wanted the film to unfold.

At times Shahar and his co-director Halil Efrat “manipulated” Sleiman by getting him worked up to make a few scenes more dramatic. They also filmed a lot of interviews of Jewish Brigade members to trick Sleiman into thinking that the film was about the Brigade and not focusing solely on him.

I’m sure that their are some documentary purists who would frown upon these Michael Moore-like tactics, but it does make for a more interesting film.

More information on the film

The Shutka Book of Records

Published
by
James McNally
on February 7, 2007
in Doc Soup, Documentaries, Film Festivals and Hot Docs
. Closed

The Shutka Book of Records

The Shutka Book of Records (Director: Aleksandar Manic, Czech Republic, 2005): This month’s Doc Soup screening was one that I’d heard absolutely nothing about beforehand. Shutka is a small town in Macedonia that boasts that it is the unofficial capital of the Roma (Gypsy) people. Though not rich in material goods, its inhabitants are rich in imagination, and almost everyone proclaims himself a “champion” of something. Obscure pursuits such as hunting vampires, training geese to fight, and collecting obscure cassettes of Turkish music are all fair game in the townspeople’s constant quest for one-upmanship.

I had some issues with the film’s tone. Even though the film was made in 2005, it was uncannily close to some of the scenes of the “Kazakh” village in Borat. This film, ostensibly a documentary, also used a slightly comical “narrator” (actually actor Bajram Severdzan, from Emir Kusturica’s Black Cat, White Cat) and the abundant humour brought it so close to parody at times that I felt that perhaps the whole thing was a put-on. According to the reviewer for the Chicago Tribune, (aptly-named) director Manic has called it an “acted documentary,” which only muddies the water.

As well, and as another reviewer noted, there is an unspoken undertone of grinding poverty. These people, although indomitable and at times charming, are the sort of uneducated, superstitious bumpkins who would rather spend their welfare money on a lavish party for their son’s circumcision ceremony than on his school fees. Though there is a discernible Roma culture evident, one wonders whether it thrives only because of a lack of any alternative. Without meaningful work or future prospects, people are bound to end up spending all of their waking hours boasting, stealing, arguing and worrying about evil genies. It’s entertaining, but it somehow felt wrong to be entertained. The few attempts made by the director to get us to empathize with many of the residents’ desire to “fly away” to the riches in the West felt buried under the weight of the jaunty anthropological style (including faux-archival black and white footage). At the end of the film, I felt somewhat like I’d emerged from a carnival sideshow.

7/10 (7/10)