ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Refugees

Unsettled – Looking for New Lives

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The life of a refugee is hard. It is even harder when the refugees are LGBTQ persons. In Tom Shepard’s documentary Unsettled, we meet four of these asylum seekers as the begin their time in the US.

Subhi is a gay man from Syria, whose life has been threated many times by Islamic extremists and has been beaten by his father. Mari and Cheyenne are a lesbian couple from Angola who faced harassment from family and neighbors. Junior is an HIV-positive gender-fluid man from the Congo. His mother is a pastor who believes that gays should be killed. They are all resettled in the San Francisco area. That may be a haven from LGBTQ people, but it is also a very expensive place to try to restart one’s life.

From left: Junior, Mari, Cheyenne, and Subhi

As the film progresses we see Subhi grow into a role of spokesperson for LGBTQ immigrants’ rights. He speaks to the UN Security Council and testifies before the US Congress. We follow Mari and Cheyenne as they try to deal with the process of seeking asylum—finding a lawyer who will handle their case pro bono, and dealing with the forms and hearings to be accepted for asylum in this country. We also see the trials that Junior faces issues with housing and substance abuse.

The film doesn’t just show us the good side of their progress. Certainly, Subhi’s story seems fairly inspiring as he becomes something of a political poster child for the issue. But as we watch Junior move from house to house to street to shelter, seemingly without support or friends, and know that much of his problems have been brought on by himself, we know that just getting to the US is not a panacea.

Of course, the stories all become more complicated when Donald Trump is elected president, having declared about refugees, “They’re going back.” The film reminds us that since the Second World War, America has been a leader in accepting refugees. It also tells us that under the current administration, the number of refugees allowed to enter the US has dropped by 70% to the lowest level in history.

But those political considerations become the background as we are given the personal stories of these four people as they face the trials of trying to establish themselves in a new land. It is important to note that these are personal stories. These are not abstractions of immigrants and refugees. These are people who have suffered and are looking for a chance to live their lives in security and happiness. Political considerations are almost always in the realm of the abstract. Unsettled gives us real people and asks us to care for them.

Unsettled is available on World Channel via local PBS stations and WorldChannel.org

Oscar-Nominated Short Documentaries

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When it is time to award the best in films each year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences include three categories of short films in their Oscar presentations. Most people don’t get to see many shorts. They play at festivals, and occasionally in front of a feature film. But short films are an art form worth attention. Many (probably most) feature filmmakers started out making short film. To tell a story in such a brief format takes skill. All the Oscar-nominated short films will be playing in theaters in special programs. To see where the films will be playing near you, go to https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/theatrical-release/

Here is a look at the five Oscar-nominated short documentaries.

In Black Sheep (UK, 27 minutes, directed by Ed Perkins) a family of Nigerian immigrants moves out of London after another Nigerian boy is killed. Eleven year old Cornelius then discovers their new home is full of violent racists as well. After being beaten, he decides to become more like those who attacked him. He wears blue contact lenses and bleaches his skin. Soon he is accepted by the others, but then he is now part of the violence against blacks. How can he be true to his real identity? The film is told by a now adult Cornelius. His reflections are engrossing as he describes what he became at that time.

My reaction: Something about this film stirred something within me. I could not imagine someone becoming the very thing that injured him, especially to the extent that he did so. I had to take a walk after screening this film to try to clear that imagery and the emotions it brought up for me. That is the power this film held for me.

“We don’t run away from hard stuff. We don’t run away from suffering.” In End Game (USA, 40 minutes, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman) we go inside two San Francisco institutions that care for the dying: UCSF Medical Center’s Palliative Care Team and the Zen Hospice Project. This is not just a story of hospice care, it shows some of the difficult decisions patients and families face and we hear them and the doctor and other professionals working through those decisions.

My reaction: This is indeed about facing the hard stuff. With death no longer a remote possibility, patients and families often struggle with how they want to spend those last months, weeks, days. The filmmakers treated these stories with respect and compassion. I’m especially grateful for the patients and families that were willing to allow this film to show this most difficult, emotional, and intimate time. This is my favorite among the nominees. End Game is a Netflix film and is currently available to stream.

Lifeboat (USA, 34 minutes, directed by Skye Fitzgerald) focuses on the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean by going with volunteers from the German non-profit Sea-Watch to search for and rescue boatloads of African refugees. In the film they encounter boats filled with about 1000 refugees—boats with no water or power. These are people who have been terribly exploited and are further exploited by the traffickers who have set them adrift. It is not a simple task to rescue them in an orderly fashion. But it is an act of great humanity and compassion. As one of them notes, when you see a crisis at a distance, you see a mass of people. When you get close, you see individuals.

My reaction: A note at the end of the film tells us that 1 out of 18 people who attempt to cross the Mediterranean will drown. When we hear about immigration crises, we often think in terms of the mass of people. (And some would encourage us to fear that mass.) This film reminds us that the crisis is about people who often see the possibility of drowning as preferable to the atrocities of the lives they are trying to escape. Each person—each individual—is a beloved child of God. We should learn to treat them as such.

Patriotism is front and center in A Night at the Garden (USA, 7 minutes, directed by Marshall Curry).  It shows archival footage of a “Pro American Rally” held at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1039. There were American flags, a huge portrait of George Washington, many Brown Shirts, and Nazi salutes. Just seven months before the start of World War II, 20,000 Nazi supporters were making the case that Americans should support Hitler’s policies. The antisemitism of this group is obvious when we hear speakers. It serves as a reminder that America has often had those who do not accept the diversity that has made the country what it is.

My reaction: A little bit of background would have been helpful. When we hear speakers in the footage, they are always speaking with an accent. This particular rally was held by the German-American Bund. It was a wide-spread movement, but never a particularly large group. But since white supremacy has been become more visible in recent years, it’s worth noting that it has been with us a very long time. That is not to say we should tolerate it, but rather to be sure not to treat it as passing fad.

Girls in India may not have access to what we would think of as basic supplies for menstruation. Period. End of Sentence. (USA, 26 minutes, directed by Rayka Zehtabchi) shows us the dilemma this causes in rural areas, where sometimes girls are shamed to the point of quitting school. The answer put forward here is a machine that allows women in such areas to manufacture and sell inexpensive pads made from local materials. In the process, it provides employment and empowerment for the women involved.

My reaction: First World people often can’t imagine that something like menstruation could create such issues. But when ignorance about such a normal thing (which we see early in the film) exists, it will inevitably cause problems for those who have the least power to fight against it. It is interesting to see something as commonplace (for us) as a menstrual pad to be able to bring such change to lives.

Styx – The Ethics of Life and Death

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If you see someone in need, should you help? That may seem like a simple question, but it is one that we must deal with in many ways almost every day. Often we help. Often we have reasons not to help. Wolfgang Fischer’s film Styx is a moving story of a woman who must make choice after choice that could result in life or death for many people. The film won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlin Film Festival.

Rike (Susanne Wolff), a young emergency doctor, sets off on a vacation of sailing her 11-meter yacht, Asa Gray, to Ascension Island, about half way between Africa and South America. About the first half of the film focuses on the common aspects of the trip: provisioning, setting off, contacting nearby freighters. Then, a storm comes up. Alone on the boat, she must work through the storm to stay afloat. But in the calm after the storm, everything changes.

She awakes to find a derelict trawler a few hundred yards away. It is full of refugees seeking to go to Europe. It is taking on water and could sink. They call to her to rescue them, but there are more than her boat can hold. She radios for help. The Coast Guard responds that they’ll send help and advise her to keep her distance. But after several hours no help comes. Soon some of the refugees begin swimming toward her, many fail and drown, but one, a boy about 12 (Gedion Odour Wekesa) barely makes it, and she hauls him aboard, totally exhausted and begins caring for him. More radio messages to authorities, more promises, but still no help. What is she to do?

The title comes from the river that in Greek mythology led from Earth to the Underworld. It was a river that sat between life and death. Those on the trawler were essentially on Charon’s boat on the way to Hades. But in this case they were not without hope, even though the hope fails to materialize.

The name of Rike’s yacht is also interesting. Asa Gray was a 19th Century botanist and friend of Charles Darwin who strove to demonstrate that evolution was not in conflict with religion. There are times within the film that we get the impression that for many of those who are not responding the loss of these lives is just a form of survival of the fittest. Although religion is not overtly included in the story, the morality that is a part of religion does make this very much a story that fits within Asa Gray’s beliefs.

This is a parable of moral obligations. Rike’s legal obligation was fulfilled when she radioed for help. She could have set on her way again. Instead she stayed. When the boy arrived, she gave him extensive medical aid. She sought others to help at various times. She was not satisfied with doing the bare minimum of care for those in need. She put herself at risk in the process.

The film is also a judgment on the way the world is approaching the near global refugee crises. Whether in the Middle East, Europe, or the southern U.S. border, there are those seeking safe, secure lives, but are often met with many official obstacles. Worse, they are met with indifference. Within the film there are those who could come and save those doomed on the trawler: the Coast Guard, freighters. But none are willing to break the policies they have been given. None is willing to question the policies or to judge whether life is more important than rules.

This is a new telling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25ff.). Jesus spoke that parable in answer to the question “Who is my neighbor (who the Law says I must love)?” In the biblical parable there are those who have important reasons for denying aid to an injured traveler. The story has definite racial, religious, and economic components. The hero of the story is the person who not only takes action to help, but goes to great lengths to do so.

As we look at the refugees around the world or at our border—or even when we look at the hungry and homeless in our streets—we need to consider each day how we will act.  Will we choose to pass by on the other side of the road, like some in the Good Samaritan? Will we do the minimum, safe action, as Rike could have done by sailing on after radioing for help? Will we do all we can to aid those in dire straits?

Photos courtesy of Film Movement.

On Her Shoulders – Nadia Murad Takes on the World

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“The world has only one border—the border of humanity.”

At 23 years old, Nadia Murad is doing amazing things—testifying before the Canadian House of Commons and the UN Security Council, addressing the UN General Assembly, meeting refugees, leading a memorial event in Berlin for a genocide. Although this all seems exciting, it is actually a burden she feels compelled to carry. On Her Shoulders is a look into a few months of Murad’s activities and the reason they are so important.

In 2014, ISIS declared that the Yazidis (a religious minority in northern Iraq) should be eliminated. They set out on a genocidal spree in which over 5000 people were killed in a few weeks and over 7000 women and children were captured and forced into sexual slavery and child soldiering. Murad was one of those captured. In all, eighteen members of her family were killed or enslaved. In time, she escaped and began to tell her story. She tells it not because she wants to relive it, but because she sees herself as the voice of all those still enslaved.

Filmmaker Alexandria Bombach followed Murad during the summer of 2016. We see her doing TV and radio interviews, meeting with members of Parliament and with UN officials, visiting refugee camps where many Yazidis live while awaiting countries that will take them in. We see her in the almost normal life that takes place between the public events she is part of. She is indeed a remarkable young woman who has taken on a difficult and demanding role. Part of the difficulty is that the media (and official bodies like the committee in the House of Commons) focus on the sexual slavery that was forced on her. She is willing to talk about it, but she complains at one point in the film that they are always asking the wrong question. Few ever ask “What can be done for the Yazidis?”

Maybe it’s because I see so many films about refugees and genocide, but as I watched this there was a sense of saturation on these topics. Yes, we know there are genocides happening. Yes, we know people have been driven from their homes with little hope of finding a place in the world to accept them. Do we need to see it yet again?

The answer to that is “Yes.” Yes, we do need to hear Nadia Murad’s story, because it is not just her story, but the story of thousands of others. Yes, we do need to hear the ugly truths of genocide. Yes, we do need to see the hardship of life in a refugee camp. Because we see and hear of so much suffering like this, we may feel overwhelmed. Our hearts can become hard, our souls calloused. That is why we need to see stories like Nadia Murad’s. We need to open our hearts. We need to care.

[Late news: Nadia Murad shares this years Nobel Peace Prize.]

Photos courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories

Saints and Strangers: We Must Learn From the Past

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The Pilgrims
(photo credit: National Geographic Channels/David Bloomer)

Thanksgiving is finally upon us, which means that we’ll gather with family and friends to enjoy a sumptuous feast involving a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce.  A game of football will be watched on television (or played in the backyard), followed by a slice of pumpkin pie and a nice nap. Hopefully, there will also be time to consider the many things we’re thankful for in life. But for many of us, thoughts of the Mayflower, pilgrims, and the native inhabitants of this country will be far removed from our minds. That’s a real shame—one that the National Geographic Channel is attempting to remedy with a film called Saints and Strangers. It’s a challenging and gritty look at a unique period in American history and is well worth a viewing. Hopefully, the lessons learned from the movie will keep us from repeating their mistakes in today’s society.

The title of the film originates from the fact that there were two groups of individuals on board the Mayflower—saints (those coming to the New World to start a new life and worship free of persecution) and strangers (those from the Merchant Adventure Company looking for fortune and prosperity). Obviously, conditions were less than ideal, and numerous individuals perished along the way. What was an attempt to settle in Virginia soon became an attempt to survive in the cold reaches of Massachusetts. It’s pretty easy to see the numerous and potentially overwhelming difficulties this group of 102 individuals would face–find a place to settle; build houses; develop a system of order; stay healthy; and keep the natives at bay.

Massasoit and Hobbamock
(photo credit: National Geographic Channels/David Bloomer)

These Native Americans (known to the Pilgrims as savages) are obviously leery of their new neighbors and begin planning what they need to do—especially in the light of discovering their stored corn has been stolen from the Nauset tribe. The leader of the local Pokanoket sachem (or tribe) is Massasoit (Raulo Trujillo), a wise leader who is flanked by his main warrior Hobbamock (Tatanka Means). He gathers other groups together to discuss the situation and learns that there’s a lot of uncertainty—will they be taken over by the new arrivals from across the sea?  Canonicus from Narragansset (Michael Greyeyes) has a huge tribe and wants to increase his own power and standing and have no problem stating such.  Masaasoit’s response paves the way for the rest of the film—and a particularly interesting character named Squanto.  He’s a Native American but speaks English as well—this proves to be quite beneficial for the Pilgrims, but are his translating skills helping or hurting the cause?

The Pilgrims learn a lot that first year and celebrate Thanksgiving in a pretty grand manner. But as time progresses, tensions begin to develop–tribe against tribe, saint against stranger, tribe against Pilgrim colony, Pilgrim colony against new folks arriving from England, and everyone against Squanto (Kalani Queypo)–except for Governor William Bradford (Vincent Kartheiser). The result of these frictions brings about the true beginnings of America—and it’s not always pleasant to see. We have to be thankful for it, however, because it brought about the country we now know and love.

Thanksgiving
(photo credit: National Geographic Channels/David Bloomer)

Saints and Strangers is a two-part film, to be shown this Sunday and Monday (November 22 and 23) at 9 PM (8 PM Central). The first part ends just before the first Thanksgiving, so you’ll have to wait a day to see what that looks and sound like.  As for the film itself, it’s done quite well and director Paul Edwards provides a gritty, earthy view of what life was like in those early days. The acting is, for the most part, top-notch and doesn’t jar one back into the modern day with colloquialisms and such. The Native Americans all speak Algonquin, but are thankfully subtitled.  This is used to nice effect as Squanto tries to translate between the two groups of people (producing some humorous moments).

There’s character development throughout, including some really fascinating changes to Massasoit, Bradford, and Stephen Hopkins (Ray Stevenson).  Oh, and composer Hans Zimmer does the music—a nice touch. The early faith of the Pilgrims is put on display quite noticeably and even includes a few passages from the Bible (including a portion of 1 Corinthians 13). With that said, I think the treatment of Christian faith in Saints and Strangers is impressive and pretty even-handed, making sense in the context of the time and situation.  National Geographic even went so far as to include a study guide for the film (downloadable here in PDF format).

So what does Saints and Strangers have to offer in the form of lessons for today? Well, the main thing to  consider when watching is the attitude of all the groups involved—saints, sinners, and savages. They convey one specific word—fear:

  • The Pilgrims were afraid of the unknown and the natives.
  • The natives were afraid the Pilgrims were going to run them out of town and take over.
  • The saints were afraid the strangers would keep them from worshiping God.
  • The strangers were afraid they would be converted and change them for the worst.

Fear kept them all from making the situation in front of them better.  If this sounds vaguely like the whole situation with the discussion in the US regarding Syrian refugees, it’s because it is.  We have to take a look at the past in order to keep from preventing the same thing from occurring in the present.  Sure, not everyone in the Pilgrim colony was on the same page, but the fear of a few poisoned the whole group to the point where their attitudes gave way to actions that threatened everyone. It’s interesting to note that within fifty years of the Pilgrims reaching Plymouth, there was a major war that turned out to be one of the costliest in US history—all because of fear leading people to not get along with each other.  If God has things in control, then why do so many people ignore the words “Do not be afraid” that are peppered throughout the Bible? It’s something to consider, as life is too short to be a prisoner of fear.

This is the time of year when we sit back and watch Snoopy battle a lawn chair and Charlie Brown serve popcorn to a bunch of confused individuals. Perhaps it would be wise to add Saints and Strangers to your must-see schedule this Thanksgiving. Those Pilgrims and Native Americans have much to teach—and we still have much to learn.

Saints and Strangers airs on the National Geographic Channel this Sunday and Monday, November 22/23, at 9 PM (8 PM Central).