Director James Moll on 'Farmland'
James Moll is only a "T" away from achieving the mythical "EGOT"; for all you non 30 Rock fans, this means that Moll has acquired an Emmy, a Grammy and two Oscars to date. An impressive list of awards that keeps growing, and his documentary Farmland easily joins the high ranks of his previous work. In Farmland, Moll gets his hands dirty as he follows farmers all over the country and captures the struggles and joys of the day to day lives of some of America's hardest working people. I chat with James via phone the morning after his Tribeca premiere of the documentary. Needless to say, spirits are high. We begin:
YESTERDAY WAS A BIG DAY FOR YOU...
Yesterday was the premiere of Farmland in New York City, very exciting. It was fun to watch the film on a big screen, with a big audience, and then to hear reactions for the first time. For so long it's been just me and the editor in an editing room.
WHEN YOU WERE FILMING, COULD YOU RELATE TO THESE FARMERS? JUST LIKE THE FILMMAKING PROCESS, THEY PUT SO MUCH WORK INTO THEIR PRODUCT WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING WHAT THE RESULT IS GOING TO BE?
That's the first time I've heard that question, that's a great question! It's true, yes, I do go into each project not exactly knowing what the outcome is going to be. Just wanting to be a fly on the wall with a camera and to follow people and see what it is they do everyday. Even in the interviews that I do with them, I go in with an idea of what I'm going to ask and talk to them about, but it always takes a turn and goes somewhere unexpected.It's always an experience of exploration, you know?
DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO LEARN ACTUAL FARMING TECHNIQUES WHEN YOU WERE FILMING?
A little bit, but not so much. I wasn't focused as much on the "how to" of farming as much as the "who" of farming. Who are these people that are growing our food? What are they like, what are their families like, what's it like living on a farm… that's what interested me more.
WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN REASON FOR MAKING THIS FILM?
For me, the approach was general- it was "who are they?" And I didn't know what to expect.
THIS MAY BE A BY-PRODUCT, BUT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR EATING HABITS AFTER MAKING FARMLAND?
Haha, no I haven't changed my eating habits, although I do feel more comfort with having a sense of where the food is coming from. My friends are always putting stuff on Facebook about what I should or shouldn't eat, what's good and what's bad, and I don't know what's true! For me, it was really interesting to just see firsthand, and meet firsthand, farmers. I'm from Los Angeles and grew up in the middle of the city and I've never been on a farm.
WHAT WAS YOUR CASTING PROCESS?
We completely approached them out of the blue, the power of Google!
FARMERS, BY NATURE, AREN'T REALLY IN THE SPOTLIGHT, SO WERE THEY EXCITED WHEN YOU ASKED THEM TO BE A PART OF THIS DOCUMENTARY?
I profiled farmers all in their 20's, the next generation of American farmers, and I think by and large the younger farmers are interested in having people know about what they do and having people come visit their farms. Other [farmers] hung up on us! They weren't interested, but then again we're just a stranger calling up out of the blue so I can understand that.
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE TRAVELING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY FILMING YOUR SIX SUBJECTS?
Logistically it was challenging, but fascinating. Every farm is different, so it was a constant learning experience. I'm hoping that the movie will give the audience the same experience that I had in going. I'm hoping that people will come away from this movie and feel like they now know a farmer.
A REALLY NICE TOUCH WAS THE "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND" RECORDING AT THE END, DID YOU APPROACH EVERCLEAR AND LIZ PHAIR TO COLLABORATE ON THIS SONG?
Yes, the editor Tim Calandrello who I've worked with before on my film about the Foo Fighters [Foo Fighters, Back and Forth ] and he's really into music, and it was his idea to use this rendition of "This Land is Your Land." You would think, 'ok, you're making a movie about farmers and really? You're going to use 'This Land is Your Land?' But Tim had played this recording that Everclear had done a few years back and I though it was great! So we approached them and asked if they wanted to do a version for the film and that's how it all came together.
Review: 'Farmland'
If someone was to ask you to name a farmer, I'm guessing 99% of people would say Old MacDonald, or at least that's what I would have said before watching Farmland, the documentary that is shedding light on a decreasing population of individuals who are responsible for much of the meats and produce we consume every day. Academy award-winning director James Moll gets his hands dirty as he travels across the country to talk to the next generation of farmers, all between 20-30 years old, who may be some of the most underrated yet hardworking people in the business.
Beautiful imagery of vast landscapes fill the screen from the very beginning. There's a peacefulness to the open air and early morning sun. We meet the farmers one by one, each from a different part of the country and each specializing in their own product, some meat, some produce, some strictly organic. During their conversations, Moll discovers that these people love what they do and wouldn't want any other career, however, the constant scrutiny from outsiders and people who consider farming to be a lower class profession does take its toll. But the judgement doesn't deter these farmers from pursuing their passion, and the grit and determination they possess will leave audiences inspired.
The most sobering takeaway from the entire film is the fact that the average age of a farmer today is 65, and because of unfair cultural judgement, fewer and fewer young people are going into farming and the agricultural business in general.
As other food documentaries before it, Farmland takes an honest and often unsettling look at the gritty process of how our food makes its way to the table and a lot of times, it's not pretty. While the farmers shown in this documentary do not participate in inhumane practices, there's no denying that these practices still exist almost everywhere. Undercover cameras capture male baby chicks being thrown into trash bags for garbage, pigs being boiled alive, and other very hard to watch realities. It's not an easy watch, but a necessary one.
Farmland exposes the reality that this industry is still a male-dominated one, Margaret Schlass is the only female farmer profiled. However, that's not the main issue. The most sobering takeaway from the entire film is the fact that the average age of a farmer today is 65, and because of unfair cultural judgement, fewer and fewer young people are going into farming and the agricultural business in general.
When this last generation of farmers passes, who will cultivate our food? It's a serious issue that needs to be raised, and Moll does a great job of making these farmers relatable to audiences, even those of us who have never planted a seed. The best part about Farmland is that at the end, you really feel like you have personally met a farmer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x8faGknw_8
Review: 'Ida'
Ida, the quiet, yet powerful, art house film shot in black & white is so captivating, it gives audiences the ability to feel and see the nonexistent colors. The haunting beauty in the filmmaking is equally on par with the incredible talent from Polish actors Agata Kulesza and Agata Trzebuchowska, whose performances will be talked about long after the film is over.
Director Paweł Pawlikowski has a masterpiece in Ida as it defies every cinematic challenge and is truly a gift to those who watch it.
Ida takes place in 1960's Poland and tells the story of a young girl about to take her vows to become a nun. Ida (Agata Trzebuchowska), or Sister Anna, is set to be welcomed into the church when she is told by the Mother superior that she must visit her only living relative before making her vows.
Ida is an orphan and was left at the convent as an infant, so this is the only world she's ever known. With her orders given, Ida packs a small suitcase and sets off to see her Aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza), but little does she know that after this visit, her life will never be the same.
Pawlikowski's images are so powerful and striking, it transforms every frame and scene into a piece of art.
Storyline aside, Ida has the most interesting and fearless camerawork I've seen in a long time, Pawlikowski's images are so powerful and striking, it transforms every frame and scene into a piece of art.
His use of space and framing is untraditional; where most directors give their actors head room in a frame, Pawlikowski pushes in the opposite direction. For instance, Ida is talking to Wanda facing left, yet the framing is to the extreme right, leaving Ida barely on the screen at all. The English subtitles also move around screen to accommodate Pawlikowski's framework. It's a welcoming change and only adds to the films beauty.
Even in black and white, Ida is vibrant and pulsing with powerful imagery. Trzebuchowska's natural and angelic beauty belongs onscreen, her name is one sure to be appearing in many future films. Without a doubt, Ida is one of the best films I've seen this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXhCaVqB0x0
Review: 'Locke'
By just reading the premise, Locke may sound like a slow paced (dare I say boring) film; watching a man in a car for an hour and a half isn't the most blood-pumping concept for a thriller. But don't be fooled by the byline- Locke proves that despite a mediocre sound bite, with the right actor and director, expect the unexpected and, in this case, Steven Knight and Tom Hardy create magic in the experimental film Locke.
The dreamlike visuals put audiences into a trance, one that we are all to willing to fall in to.
Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is an ordinary man faced with a life-altering decision, and has no choice but to confront the problem immediately. As he's leaving work after a late night shift at a construction site, he gets into his black BMW SUV and begins making and receiving phone calls, each call gets him further away from the life he had. It's a stressful film with high tension, but the beautiful cinematography eases anxiety. The dreamlike visuals put audiences into a trance, one that we are all to willing to fall in to.
Tom Hardy is a method actor, known for such roles as the villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and the British conman Eames in Inception. Locke is Hardy's first ever "normal" role, playing blue-collar family man Ivan Locke, a role in which he embodies to perfection. Hardy's acting abilities are on full display, being that he is the only character we ever see on screen, and he carries the film on his back like a champion. Even if you close your eyes and just listen to Hardy's acquired Welsh accent, the tension pulses through you all the same as if you were watching it.
Locke is a captivating film, very reminiscent of the 2002 thriller Phone booth (starring Colin Farrell) for the connected car generation. What makes this film unique is that it feels more like a stage play as Tom Hardy rides this emotional roller coaster that mesmerizes audiences into a psychological trance. A breakout performance by Hardy and genius direction from Steve Knight make this film a must see for the artsy crowd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdaofZfgV_Q
Jeremy Saulnier & Macon Blair on 'Blue Ruin'
I reach the 25th floor and step out of the elevator on the giant building on Wilshire Blvd, excited for what's about to come. Besides the fact that we have mutual friends, director Jeremy Saulnier and actor Macon Blair are so down to earth and, seemingly unaware of how successful they are about to become after the theatrical release of their film Blue Ruin. They've been friends and making films since childhood and as I walk into the conference room to meet them for our exclusive interview, the energy is so high and welcoming, I feel as if I've been friends with them since childhood too. We sit around a long oval table and begin:
WE FIRST SAW THE FILM AT LAST YEAR'S AFI FESTIVAL, BUT AFTER WATCHING IT, I THOUGHT THAT IT DESERVED AN EVEN BIGGER ARENA TO PLAY IN.
Jeremey Saulnier: Well, do you know where we premiered? Director's Fortnight at Cannes! So we totally got the dream premiere beyond our hopes and dreams. We did Sundance, Toronto, we did everything. So we have, I think, the coolest festival run we could ever imagine. Yeah I mean like, after the Cannes premiere, it got bought very shortly after that and so then just like the weird halo effect of having been bought there by Radius, Weinstein Company, all the other festivals were kind of like, "Come in! Come in! Come in!" which is the opposite of our, you know, normally you have to submit and hope and pray, and now people were the opposite, they were asking us to come which was very foreign and exciting. It was- Weird. The full fairy tale. So much of that I think, I especially, I was guilt ridden. Because all of a sudden, the public back-and-forth about where our film was, was just all of a sudden hard to cope with actually. Because it was the dream scenario
DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHILE YOU WERE MAKING THE FILM THAT IT WOULD ACHIEVE ALL OF THESE SUCCESSES SO QUICKLY?
JS: Absolutely not.
Macon Blair: Not like this.No way. No.
JS: We were definitely hoping for a top tier domestic festival in the U.S. like almost all filmmakers, when they embark on such an, indie project. And this is not hyperbole, we had sat down at one point and declared, with a certain "reality check" moment, that this film was not a Cannes film, like that was just out of our scope. And then we got in! So we proved ourselves wrong, and it was a delight. [Laughter].
MB: But it got in, the movie was not done. So when we found out we had to race to finish all of the post production in a very compressed time frame, just to be ready for the premiere. And Jeremy hadn't even seen the finished product until the night of the premiere. It was uploaded to being projected there, like, forty eight hours before we flew over there, so it was like, literally a race to finish this.
JEREMY, YOU WROTE, SHOT, AND DIRECTED THE FILM. WAS THAT YOUR PLAN TO DO SO FROM THE BEGINNING?
JS: We make a lot of our decisions based on necessity, and that was very pragmatic. And also, I have an affinity towards the camera, I'm a working cinematographer, so I felt very comfortable with leaning on my technical background, to help us through production, and to be very lean and mean with how we covered scenes, and the amount of scenes we cover. And I do think that being the writer/director/cinematographer helps, because when I wrote the film, when I sat down and cranked out the script, it was pre-visualized. I knew so many of the locations we'd be using because there were friends and family that were supplying us with locations. I knew Macon was going to be the star , so I could visualize him in these scenarios. And there was so much intimate knowledge about what we were going to be doing ahead of time that, when I wrote it, I was blocking shots out as I did it. So that helped. I storyboarded whatever I could, I never got through the whole film, but I storyboarded the first act. And because so much of the film is virtually dialogue free, it was a very easy collaboration between myself, and my other self. But, when it came to the dialogue scenes, it was I think a disservice to the actors when I was worried about headroom, or technical infringements, and not just focusing on performance. So luckily we had awesome actors come on board and were able to rehearse a few key scenes before production. But, um, it's not something I recommend arbitrarily, but it just worked out that way, and again, we didn't want to bend the world to our will, we just wanted to accept our limitations and liabilities and just move forward. And we saved a good amount of money, by not having to travel, and hire a separate director of photography on set.
THE CHEMISTRY AND TRUST IN YOUR GUYS' RELATIONSHIP IS SO NATURAL. DID YOU KNOW EACH OTHER PREVIOUSLY?
JS: Yeah, we've been friends since elementary school. And it was sort of like a group, we all grew up in the same neighborhood in Virgina, and a group of us, that was like our after school activity, was making movies together. And everybody kind of went to different film schools, more or less, but we all re-converged after college in New York, and tried to make a professional go of it, and it just ended up taking much longer than we thought! We had some false starts, and thought we would be able to break though with a short film, or a feature, and so this was kind of the last, ultimate attempt, to, if this is gonna be how we pay the bills, making movies, then we have to make this one count. And we didn't. It might've not worked, and we were prepared for that reality too, so we just kind of tried to throw like, every last hail Mary with this movie that maybe it would be the last one we could get to make.
WHO ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS?
JS: I've always revered films, and performances, rather than directors and actors. I'm uncomfortable with just the whole, "celebrity" and "star power" and "branding." I think some of my favorite directors have faltered, more than once. But that's just the name of the game, it's a law of averages. But my biggest influences growing up would be John Carpenter, sort of a plethora of 80's action movies. Die Hard with McTiernan, all that stuff. But I think that I feel most akin to the Coen brothers, and how they tell stories. I think that just visually, they're geniuses, and the language that they use to tell stories is what I relate to most. And I love how they can weave between genres within one film, and then they can ride that line, and it's just expertly pulled off. I love Michael Mann, early Friedkin, all that sort of stuff. So I am an unabashed lover of genre filmmaking. But there's this sort of nostalgic connection to films of my youth, which I think were more atmospheric, and traditionally crafted. And I love makeup effects, so again, that tactile, visceral filmmaking is what I'm attracted to. But I also, I've been influenced recently by arthouse movies, and my collaboration with Matt Porterfield, who does these really great indie/arthouse films. And I think that Blue Ruin is a nice hybrid, where I felt like I wanted to not just make an exploitation for the sake of exploitation, and celebrated violence, and action choreography. I respect it as a craft. And I just wanted to ground this in a little more reality, and have it ultimately be a character driven piece, and that's where Macon came in.
FOR THE ROLE OF DWIGHT- WAS THERE ANYONE WHO YOU WERE BASING THE CHARACTER OFF OF, OR SOMETHING YOU CAME UP WITH?
MB: Well it was someone that Jeremy completely came up with, and then he and I just talked about it, mostly for like a year, leading up to it. There's certainly like some real people that I knew that I would kind of pick little pieces of their personality, and try and use those. And there were also some performances and other movies, not that I was trying to copy necessarily, but inspired me like, "We could approach it in that sort of way," and just kind of like mush it all together. But really it was almost a full year before we even knew if we were going to make the movie at all, when like the money wasn't the question and stuff, the pressure was very low stakes and we could just kind of have these long, theoretical conversations about why he was doing anything, or not doing anything, so that when we actually got to the time we were shooting the movie we didn't have to waste any time having those talks, because even if we had disagreements early on, by that time, we had synchronized so that we were very much on the same page. And you said something about shorthand, which was very true, we didn't have to have a lot of big discussions, it could be just gestures, and I knew what he was getting, and he could make adjustments to what I was doing with a minimal fuss. And I think that was helpful because it was low-budget and independent, and we had to move as quickly as possible, and get in and out of locations, and get the day done.
JS: And Macon's also a writer, so him approaching film from that standpoint really helped with character, because on set he would protect the story, as well as his character and stay true to it, and I could defer to him when I was faltering, or if I was too busy lighting, or whatever it was. Honestly, when I was at a loss from time to time, and I'll answer for you Macon, he would make sure that he would approach it from not only like an internal 'Dwight' perspective, but story. And having that overall knowledge of the arc of a story, and dramatic necessity that we needed to pull off, to make this a cohesive film, he was there. And I will say, the whole film was built around Macon, and the character was written just for him. But it was me knowing, not so much, I knew what he could do in front of the camera, but a lot of Dwight was just pushing Macon just out of his comfort zone. It wasn't about just, "Oh, this is written for Macon, I've seen him do this a thousand times, let's justplay it safe," it was about knowing the raw talent was there, and for both of us, exploring new territory in that this was a stark, emotional, raw film, where we'd both be vulnerable as artists, and so it was terrifying. It wasn't just like, "catered just for you like your last three film," it was like, "Let's finally do something that is new, for both of us, and expose ourselves..." Well, that's a little too explicit...[Laughter]
Director Steven Knight on 'Locke'
"It's really funny, I'm just seeing the construction site and the concrete delivery..." "Haha, if only we had done the L.A. Times photo in front of that..."
I look behind me from the 10th floor of the Ginsberg Libby office to see, in fact, a giant construction site on Hollywood Blvd. It's quite fitting; I just finished talking to Steven Knight, director of the dramatic thriller Locke, in which ordinary man Ivan Locke is confronted with life-altering decisions in a single night. Locke is a blue-collar family man, working as a concrete supervisor on construction sites (cue the irony) when he receives a phone call that will change his life forever. In this mesmerizing film, which only focuses on one character in one location, the role of the director is magnified, and so it was my pleasure to sit down with Steven and talk about working with Tom Hardy, his directorial style and the "anti-film" that is Locke. We begin:
THE ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME IS THAT THIS FILM IS DESCRIBED AS AN "ANTI-FILM," DO YOU LIKE THAT?
It's not that it's an "anti-film," it's just different. The thing about this film is that people are invited to use their imagination. One of the best comments is when people come out and they forget they haven't seen the other characters because they sort of made them up, and I feel that with technology and budgets, it is possible to put the imagination on the screen. It's someone else's imagination, but it's all there. With a film like this you have to sort of work at it because you're not given anything other than the interior of the car and one person. With Locke, I didn't want to make an art-house, experimental film that would only appeal to a particular audience, but a film that would appeal to everyone that's made in a different way. Often "experimental" means a particular sort of audience, that only those people are intelligent enough to "get" experimental, and that's not true.
THE IDEA FOR LOCKE CAME FROM YOUR PREVIOUS FILMS' CAMERA TESTS ON THE ALEXA CAMERA, DID YOU END UP SHOOTING ON AN ALEXA?
No we shot on a RED at the end...it was smaller so we had more room in the car. The director of photography used a RED on cars at night before and they're very good, just brilliant.
YOU COULD PRACTICALLY SEE SHADOWS IN THE DARK...
Oh you can shoot starlight. When I was looking at the tests they were so beautiful. Even as we shot this I wanted it to be that you could turn the sound down and show it at a bar or a club or whatever and people would look and be intrigued by it.
ANY SCREENSHOT LOOKS LIKE A PIECE OF ART, IT'S AMAZING.
Yeah!
IN CASTING THE LEADING MAN, TOM HARDY, DID YOU HAVE SPECIFIC CRITERIA YOU WERE LOOKING FOR OR DID HE BLOW YOU AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY?
This film came together as a series of happy accidents, really. I was meeting Tom about something else and just thought if you're going to have someone on screen for that long you better be really good and I think he's the best actor. I put to him the idea before writing the script and he was really intrigued. I wrote the script with him in mind knowing that he'd be able to pull it off and then we were shooting within a couple weeks.
IN A MOVIE LIKE THIS, A LOT OF IT DEPENDS OBVIOUSLY ON THE ACTOR, BUT ALSO THE DIRECTION BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HIDE BEHIND MUCH...
Exactly, yeah.
WHAT DIRECTIONS DID YOU GIVE TOM? DID HE CREATE IVAN?
The script remained exactly the same, word for word, because he likes to work off the page which is great. We sat round a table for five days and went through the script with the other actors so any sort of direction, we could deal with then. The beard was his, the clothes were his, the Welsh accent was [inspired by] somebody he knew. Tom said 'This is the first straight role I've ever done.' You know? He's not a monster, he's not a madman... the point of the whole [film] is to take an ordinary man with a wife and two kids who works in construction and then see if that can sustain onscreen. It's an ordinary tragedy.
DID YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT MAKING A FILM THAT WAS SET IN "REAL TIME"?
No, not really. There's always the practical and logical reason not to do the obvious thing when you're making a film. There's always someone that comes along and says 'no you can't do that.' But with this, because I wanted it to be like a play, the most logical way to do it is to get three cameras rolling and then I say "action" once and we set off. The other actors were in a conference room in a hotel with a real phone line into the car, so the calls are all real. I would cue the first call, second call and we'd shoot it beginning to end all the way through. The only times we pulled over is because the RED has a memory card of about 30 minutes, so every 27 minutes we'd pull over, change the memory card, change the lens, change the angle and leave Tom alone so that he's still in character. We had 16 movies at the end.
WOW, SO WAS THE EDITOR IN HEAVEN OR PULLING HER HAIR OUT?
Haha, no it was great.
AT THE END OF THE DAY WAS THE FINISHED PRODUCT EXACTLY AS YOU ENVISIONED IT?
That's the thing, as you write a film you always have the film in your head, beginning to end and edited perfectly. When you go and make it in the real world things change... but with this, it's as close as I've ever got to it being exactly how I imagined it.
AS A DIRECTOR, ARE THESE TYPES OF MOVIES WHAT YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?
Completely, completely. I'll be doing another one at the start of next year which again will be quite experimental, with Helen Mirren. The Hundred Foot Journey has just been cut together and is looking fantastic.
Review: 'Cuban Fury'
Bruce Garrett is an odd 13-year-old boy. Instead of lacing up his sport cleats, he shines his dancing shoes. Rather than putting on a team uniform, he buttons up his bedazzled satin blouse. Bruce is getting ready to compete in the UK Junior Sala Dancing Championships when he becomes a victim of a traumatizing bullying attack, and he vows to never dance again. All of that changes, however, when he meets his new boss Julia who, turns out, has a thing for salsa dancing. Now Bruce must try to overcome his fears of dancing if he has any chance of impressing Julia, but can he do it?
Although the premise is a little silly, Cuban Fury does star some comedy veterans, which is much-needed name recognition for any commercial success. Known for his roles in Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead is leading man Nick Frost, who plays the child dancing prodigy turned overweight, insecure office worker. Chris O'Dowd plays Drew, Bruce's womanizing, albeit arrogant, co-worker. It's a stark, but welcoming, contrast from his role as the bumbling Officer Rhodes in the ingenious comedy Bridesmaids. In Fury, O'Dowd lies, cheats, and dances in an attempt to win over the affection of Julia's heart, played by none other than Rashida Jones. Her good looks and intelligence make Jones a leading lady worth admiring.
It's more of a low brow humor at play here, which plays a little too safe to make for a more memorable comedy.
A majority of the humor comes from Frost and O'Dowd as they each compete for Julia's attention. Their on-screen chemistry even leads to a hilarious dance-off, which is sure to bring the audience to laughter. Drew's over sexualized, crude jokes also bring humor to the film, although not without its fair share of jokes which fall flat. It's more of a low-brow type of humor, which plays a little too safe to make for a memorable comedy. Even seasoned comedians can't save this rom-com from falling flat.
Overall Cuban Fury is a feel good movie but plays too safe to be taken seriously as a romantic comedy. It's more of a "watch-on-the-plane" type of film that is sure to provide a few laughs, but not without a few awkward cringes as well. It doesn't play by the rules as far as having a storybook ending, which is a nice change, but ultimately, I'd wait until it hits Netflix to check this film out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqWVLL4YxGI
Review: 'Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda'
The graphic scenes filmmaker Michael Lucas captured in this documentary are not only shocking on a political level but on an ethical one as well. Men and women are tortured, beaten, and even killed, because of their lifestyle. They're called "dirt" by government officials and now have to compete with the introduction of "anti-gay" legislation. Under this law, LGBT people would be reprimanded for saying that they have equal rights as "normal" people. Sound familiar (read: Nazi Germany)? Needless to say, being gay in Russia makes for rough life. Lucas gives audiences a peek into this world in his eye-opening documentary, Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda.
Lucas talks to open and closeted gay men and women as they recall stories to the camera of growing up in homophobic Russia, where they risk family relationships, jobs, and their lives to be themselves. It's raw and emotional, but these teenagers, young adults and grown men and women bravely describe their struggles. Lucas also interviews passerby-ers on the street, whose opinion of LGBT people are extremely terrible. Along with interviews, Lucas shows videos (which have since gone viral) of abuse and torture, made out of ignorance minds intent on "getting the gay out" of people.
LGBT men and women recall stories of growing up in homophobic Russia, where they risk family relationships, jobs and their lives to be themselves.
Attacks and slurs aside, the most shocking fact is that this is common practice in Russia. Hate crimes are becoming normalized and it has a lot to do with Vitaly Milonov, the Russian government official whose policies have influenced growing homophobia in Russia. Milonov's interview is unbelievable, literally blaming being gay on mental disorders and sicknesses.
Campaign of Hate is a relatively short documentary, running just shy of an hour and a half long. English subtitles are used half the time as many interviews are conducted in Russian, with the occasional English speaker. It's not the easiest film to sit through due to its subject matter, but it is an important one to see. Campaign of Hate acts as more of a public service announcement than an entertaining documentary, but a worthwhile experience nonetheless, if not to see the despicable and unbelievable state of current affairs for the LGBT community. If Michael Lucas set out to bring awareness of this ongoing torture and unconstitutional legislation in Russia, then this documentary is evidence of that success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnuo9IGZqkU