From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 4/7/2007 2:42 PM
April 6, 2007
Films document humanity
By Chris Honoré
Tidings Reviewer
In the AIFF program, the documentary film "Beyond the Call" is described as being about "three irreverent, middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day knights," who travel the world delivering humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors.
These men are all that and more. Characters to be sure, who at great risk and personal sacrifice have decided to cut out the middleman, so to speak, and take medicine and money directly to the people. Nothing is diluted or lost in transit, the donations not reduced by administration fees or salaries. From Afghanistan, Albania, Chechnya, Cambodia, Burma, to the Southern Philippines and Rwanda, these men arrive with cash and supplies. It's no small thing. As this well done documentary shows, it gives each of their lives purpose and meaning.
But there is a subtext to this film, never explicitly touched on, but ever present.
There's an old CARE saying that goes something like, bring a man a loaf of bread and you stave off his hunger. Bring the same man a shovel and teach him to plant and you have cured his hunger forever. The three men are, of course, welcomed in village after village around the world. And the relief they bring saves lives, pays teachers' salaries, and heals the sick.
Disaster relief is a bandaid. Aid, however, should bring about fundamental change. Non-governmental agencies (NGOs), whose basis for existence is to bring relief to the poor and the suffering worldwide, often fail to address the underlying issues which have created the current circumstances. Like the three "modern-day knights," NGOs feel they are doing something vital and important. In reality, for many, it's a loaf of bread and never a shovel. What's a bandaid and what's genuine aid is never sorted out in "Beyond the Call." But the power of this documentary is that it begs the question.
Set in New Orleans not long after the city and the Gulf Coast were ravished by hurricane Katrina, "Low and Behold" tells the engaging story of Turner Stull, a young man who is feeling somewhat aimless, and so agrees to work for his uncle, Stully, who is an insurance claims adjuster.
Turner is suddenly confronted with a natural disaster that is beyond anything he could ever have imagined. Pressed by his uncle to go faster, and avoid listening to people's stories, he finds this admonition all but impossible to follow. He quickly discovers that this widespread tragedy is personal, something that is made clear as he goes from house to house and is indeed told story after story, by folks who are still navigating the aftermath. Tangentially, director Zack Godshall seamlessly weaves into the dramatic narrative interviews with actual residents, giving the film added depth and breadth.
In his travels Turner meets a local named Nixon who claims he is looking for his dog named Crunchy. In truth, as Turner discovers, Nixon has lost far more than Crunchy. Gradually they build a friendship, and together discover that while houses can be repaired, buildings built anew, the damage done to people will take far longer.
http://www.dailytidings.com/2007/0406/stories/0406_bp_aiff_review_5.php
