Death Sentences
Recently I finished reading two remarkably disturbing, yet moving books. No coincidence that those adjectives often go together. You could certainly place both books on the “Social Justice” shelf, but they are two very different stories. “What Is The What”, technically a novel, tells the very real story of Valentino Achak Deng’s journey from war-torn Sudan to the far-from-Utopian United States of America. And it is in this country that Sister Helen Prejean tells her story in the book, “Dead Man Walking.” Rather than separating these two powerful stories into a couple of reflections, I thought it might be useful (interesting?) to tie them together. As you may have noticed by my Hunger Games post, I’m no literary critic. Rather, I enjoy throwing some thoughts against the wall to see if they form something meaningful. The journey across Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and then over the Atlantic that so many young Sudanese men made over the course of the 80s, 90s, and into the 2000s is one that I thought I knew a good deal about. Attending Curry College with Peter Nhiany, one of the men who made that journey as a boy, opened my eyes to a world I had been totally ignorant to before college. But after reading “What Is The What”, I realize that I had only scratched the surface of their story. So deep does this book take the reader into the mind of one of these boys and then men, that I found it to be – without overstating – life-changing. That same word, life-changing, can be said of Sister Helen Prejean’s story. Her story is wrapped up with the story of death row inmates, whom she serves as Spiritual Adviser. What I mean by that word, life-changing, isn’t some outward change abruptly pushed upon me. It’s this deep change in the way that I think about, well, life. The frailty of life and our ability to save or take it away. Of course I’ve had my own life-changing experience, fighting (beating) cancer. I’ve had just a small taste of that frailty and the unending gratitude; knowing that my life has been saved. Truly, saved. Maybe it is that past experience upon which my convictions bubble up when reading these two stories. Maybe those past experiences are what makes it so hard to put words to these convictions as I type. If only we had the technology to transfer feelings right onto the page – words 2.0? Hmm, that could be scary. So here is how I simplistically tie these two stories together. In both stories, human beings are sentenced to die. Valentino impressed upon my brain an image I will never forget: some boys, along the...
The Real Hunger Games
I just finished reading the first book in the Hunger Games series, shortly after seeing the movie, and was surprised by how much I liked both. I suppose whenever there is this much hype around something, like many, I ask the question, “how good can it really be?”. Certainly it is no masterpiece of writing or filmmaking, nonetheless though they are both solid pieces of work. But hey, I’m just one more opinion on a series that already has plenty. So rather than focus on the book or film, I figured I would share some connections to real-life that have been simmering upstairs for a bit (ahem, first of the food metaphors I’ll throw in for good measure). A world where some live in total excess, with an abundance of food to eat, consumed by pop culture that is filled to the brim with every sort of entertainment imaginable, indulging in the latest bizarre fashions, obsessed with appearances and living in luxurious, modern comfort. This contrasted with the rest – who scrape to get by, working back-breaking jobs day in and day out, barely able to provide enough for their family, lacking many modern day comforts and even necessities such as medicine, and of course – consistently, chronically hungry. I could be describing the world Collins’ creates in Hunger Games, but (probably to no one’s surprise) what I’m really talking about is the state of affairs on this planet we share – today. Perhaps the inequality in Hunger Games is more starkly evident, but it is no less real in today’s state of affairs. Let me give you a recent example. For breakfast this morning, with NPR playing in the background, I took my time mixing various ingredients together and pouring them into an electronic machine that exists for the sole purpose of making this one type of food we call waffles. And then I poured some coffee grinds, that came from across the globe, into another machine that exists solely for the purpose of this one beverage. Oh, and why not, I had a glass of orange juice alongside a pill that was manufactured to have all the minerals and vitamins that I should have in addition to what I’ll get from my food today. That was just the first meal of my day – I get to do that at least twice more. And while I was preparing that food and then eating it with a side of New Yorker reading, during that very same time, a child somewhere on this planet likely breathed their last breath from deep within their utterly empty belly, because they had precisely nothing to eat today. Is that a...
Salem Stands Music Video
Earlier this month Paul Brown & The Killing Devils released their latest music video and my latest project: Salem Stands. Bottom line, in my opinion it’s one of my best. But hey, you be the judge! As satisfying as it is to have this finished project, I think best part of filmmaking is the process (photos below). Then again, that may be true of everything good in life. Interesting, though, how it often is in retrospecting that those memories of ‘the process’ really shine. “Remember that time we lit torches and filmed down an alley in Salem?” Yup. It was a pretty great weekend, book ended by some nice creative time alone, writing and then editing. In particular, what I love about the filmmaking process is how everything comes together; the stages of development, the people, the creativity. The marriage of multiple media comes together through the marriage of multiple people. A bond develops on set, even if it is just for a couple of days. And in this film in particular, a bond developed between the people and the place. There is no escaping the rich history of Salem, MA – it’s all around you. And it soaks in. As we went from place to place to place, the past and the present came together and just sort of filled us. And hopefully that comes through in the video. Because ultimately, the goal is integrity. That isn’t to say this is anywhere near historically accurate. Rather, I hope this captures the spirit – an especially appropriate word – of this place. At any rate, it was a crap ton of fun… [nggallery...
KONY 2012 Good or Bad?
Yikes. Yet another commentary about the KONY 2012 film that’s taking the internet by storm (you can watch it at the bottom of this post). Let me first say that the title of this post is A) not going to be answered B) a false dichotomy C) a crappy question. So then why did I choose it? I think (hope) it gets at something important. I’ve got so many thoughts and feelings about this film – I mean it has been consuming the better part of my brain since I watched it. Pretty sure words will fall short of capturing it all, but I’m gonna throw it all out there anyway. Apologies for the mess. First off, come on: over 50 million views in a 3-day time-frame? It’s how long!? A half hour. What?! And it’s about…Uganda, child soldiers, the LRA, Joseph Kony. WTF? Is this–am I dreaming? How the hell did this happen? It is truly a staggering achievement. I’m still blown away by it (can you tell?). And from a technical standpoint, the film is superb. It’s beautiful; compelling graphics, powerful soundtrack, great cinematography, excellent structure – but most significantly, an exceptional story. These guys are awesome storytellers. And I think there is so much to learn from what they’ve done – for all nonprofits trying to spread their message in a meaningful and impactful way. Problem with this story is that it appears to be somewhat made up, or at the very least, misleading. Rather than get into all of that here, I encourage you to read some of the many commentaries on the film. Here are a few I’ve read: //blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things //thatneedstogo.tumblr.com/post/18907388408/kony-2012-causing-more-harm-than-good //www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/120307/kony-2012-campaign-criticized-dumbing-down-conflict And at the end of this post I have included some really important Ugandan response videos. I think these critiques have a ton of validity and ultimately it is disappointing. For me, it boils down to one thing: respect. The film doesn’t really respect the audience, nor does it really respect the people it is trying to help. And I hesitate to even put those words down because I think these guys have amazingly good intentions that have led to an unprecedented amount of attention on important issues. So when I say the film doesn’t have respect, that isn’t to say the filmmakers don’t (not something I can or should judge). And, importantly, I have not produced a better film! I’ve got to face the facts here; my most popular video is five years old, has a respectable 36K views and I’m glad I made it. But I look at it now and, yeesh, I can do SO much better. Seriously, who am I to make a video titled “The African...
Focusing the Lens in 2012
If my blog were a handwritten journal, this would be me digging it off of a shelf somewhere, blowing off the dust, and peeling back the last crumpled page I scribbled down to find new space for a new entry in a new year. How and where to start? It has been nine months since my last blog entry. A gestation period for this new post; wasn’t quite ready to see the light of day until … well, I’m not sure it even is now! I have to admit, after taking this long of a break from writing, the task is surprisingly intimidating. I’ve got so much I want to share, but will the words still flow?! Okay, here goes… 2011 was the best year of my life. I’m writing this post in my new home where I am living with my new wife, from where I commute to my new job. As I had hoped after previewing things earlier in the year, it indeed has been a trilogy of epic proportions. As is the usual case with this blog, the lens through which I can best reflect on the year came during my most recent visit to Dana Farber. Just a week and a half ago, I found myself there for another regular check-in, accepting more good news: that I’ve been cancer-free for over two and a half years now. But even before the visit with the doctors, just being in that place puts life into sharp focus. Every visit draws to the surface a vast array of emotions at every wavelength of the spectrum; good and bad. Actually, good and bad is too black and white, really. The emotions are much more colorful. Regardless of which color though, the place implores a certain level of presence that I find hard to attain anywhere else. I am struggling to put into words just how profound an experience it is for me. Every emotion is so much more… emotional. Joy, happiness, anger, sorrow, peace. The place breathes all of them, in and out. With each post, I find myself coming back to my experience with cancer. I wonder sometimes, if that becomes a crutch for my writing. Maybe, I force more weight into my experiences than they merit. It’s always tough to know where that line between reflecting and indulging is, and how not to cross it. Authenticity is the goal. The fact of the matter, though, is that the best lens I’ve got in my arsenal (indeed, the one that sparked this blog) is my experience overcoming cancer. It is in looking at life through that lens especially, that I...
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