Showing posts with label Documentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Documentary. Show all posts
We Are Different…But Yet Much The Same
The United States of America is such a great country. So many things have been done throughout the years to make us proud of our fellow citizens. We have freedoms that other countries envy and other citizens crave. We do sometimes take those freedoms for granted. And sometimes, we think “we” are the ones that deserve those freedoms…while others among us do not. That is the foundation of the new documentary Divided We Stand: Rising Above Religious Intolerance.
The United States of America is such a great country. So many things have been done throughout the years to make us proud of our fellow citizens. We have freedoms that other countries envy and other citizens crave. We do sometimes take those freedoms for granted. And sometimes, we think “we” are the ones that deserve those freedoms…while others among us do not. That is the foundation of the new documentary Divided We Stand: Rising Above Religious Intolerance.
Politics divide us on a daily and even hourly basis. One of the basic rights we are granted in the United States is the Freedom of Religion. We can choose who we want to worship, without a government telling us what is right and wrong. But we go even further when it comes to our elected leaders. In the Constitution it states, “… no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Sure, that is great in theory, but as a country we do elect our leaders, and religious tests are all around.The most evident example in our recent history, until recently, of religious bias was when John F. Kennedy ran for office. He underwent massive questioning on whether a Catholic could hold down the top office.
In the years before the 2008 Presidential campaign, the vetting of Republican candidates began again, and this time Mitt Romney was the different one. His membership in the Mormon Church raised the ire of some Christians around the country. So in 2007, Director Bryan Hall set out to see if that religious intolerance that Kennedy faced was still present in society today. The film is a result of his findings, coupled with archival footage to paint a picture of a country that still has a long way to go to become perfect.
At just under an hour in length, Divided We Stand gets a brief chance to paint a picture of America today. We get to see not only the Christian leader that seems petrified of ever becoming with friends with a non-Christian, but also the Pastor that says God is Love not hate. There is intolerance towards Mormons as well as other religions in the film that will shake your foundation in the inherent good in people.
The truly eye-opening part of the film is the fact that it never really feels like a hit piece on religion (this from a Christian). Instead it feels like a wake up call of acceptance. When it comes to religion, we may differ. We have many different individuals that worship in different ways in this country we live in. Yet we are ALL Americans that want the best for our brothers and sisters. Just because you know a Mormon, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or Atheist worshipper doesn’t automatically convert you to their religion.
As a film, this works on some levels, but most importantly it starts discussion on who we are as a people, and what we want to become.
Instead of letting our differences divide us, we should look to let our similarities unite us.
Director: Bryan Hall
Featuring: Dr. Robert Jeffress, Dr. Richard Land, Hugh Hewitt, Bill Keller, David French, Judge Ray Moore
Rating: Not Rated.
Runtime: Approximately 56 minutes
Off the Beaten Path -Jig
There has been a proliferation of dance “reality” shows that have shown up on your television screen in recent years. So You Think You Can Dance has taken Fox by storm and made dance a part of homes everywhere. The show has introduced viewers to many dance forms they may not have experienced earlier, except in the occasional movie. And of course there is Dancing With The Stars in which our favorite athlete, actors, reality personalities and the like get paired with a real dancer and we get to see how hard they work to put on one small routine. But those, shows are child’s play compared to the World Championships of Irish Dance that are exhibited in the new film, Jig.
Jig is a documentary that is about the blood, sweat, tears, money, time, effort, and the list goes on…that goes into Irish dancing at the top levels. Some will say, these are just dancers. After seeing this film I defy anyone to not say they as highly trained and work as hard as any Olympic athlete.In the film we are treated to a variety of competitors from the young 10 year old to the nearly 20 year olds. Some are nearing their last competition, while others are just embarking on a long journey. Director Sue Bourne tells a story about some of the lead up to the 40th Irish Dancing World Championships that were held in Glasgow in March 2010. The championships are a global event drawing competitors that we meet in the film from the USA, Scotland, Ireland and even a “Flying Dutchman”. And lest you believe this is just girls with long curly wigs, think again! The boys get their chance to shine as well with moves that will make Michael Flatley a bit jealous.
And Bourne delivers just the right amount of suspense as she has covered some winners, some runner-ups, and some that are just happy to be in the country (Visa problems…you know).
As a father of a nearly 7 year old that is enjoying her time in ballet and tap dancing classes, this is just mind-boggling. Some of the footage reminds me of the show “Toddlers and Tiaras” with one clear exception. These kids ALL seem driven by their goals, well most of them at least. The extent to which the parents support their children is amazing as the thousands of dollars that are spent on costumes, wigs, and training lead to this top event.
The behind the scenes in some of the sequences are amazing as we get the admission from one that she watches her competitions videos on You Tube, to learn the moves to hopefully make her a champion. Imagine, being able to learn from your competition that is half a world away. The changes in 40 years of competition aren’t as much shown here as they are implied.
I sat down to watch this with my wife and daughter in the room with me, fully expecting them to run off and do other things, but instead they were as engrossed with the stories being told onscreen. Much as I found myself wanting to know what happened next and watching it as a critic, I ended up more a fan, cheering for the results, watching the finish and knowing that some would be back next year to try harder and some just might walk away one last time.
Jig is not without faults, it has some stories that seemed a bit harder to follow than others, and would have benefited from a bit more screen time as a whole. But this tight 93-minute film is worth dancing around every corner to find.
Check out http://www.jig-the-film.com
Follow the film on Twitter to see when it is showing near you! @jigthefilm
B+ / B
Rated PG
Dir: Sue Bourne
Opening 6/17 in LA, NY, Boston, Chicago and Toronto with other cities to follow.