People Before Profit blog

Viewers get committed to "American Horror Story: Asylum"

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Every now and then, a series comes along that defies and ignores its competition. Rejecting the tried-and-trusted formats that have become the bread and butter of many popular shows, "American Horror Story: Asylum" has proven that, for those who can handle high levels of grotesquery and perversion, it is a series worth getting committed to.

"Asylum" is actually the second season of "American Horror Story;" the first season focused on a modern, ghost-plagued house (in a most unconventional manner). Rather than continuing this story, the creators of the show have decided it ought to be an anthology series, with a different setting and characters for each new season. Enter Season 2, which takes place in 1964, in an insane asylum called Briarcliff. If any viewer is expecting "Asylum" to contain a derivative plot and formulaic tone, that person is in for a surprise.

This season introduces bizarre, unforgettable characters: Kit Walker (Evan Peters), accused of being a mentally ill serial killer named Bloodyface, but who seems (and claims) to be innocent and believes aliens abducted his girlfriend; Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), a journalist investigating the Bloodyface story; Sister Jude (Jessica Lange), the repressed, devout-yet-hypocritical nun who runs Briarcliff; Dr. Arden (James Cromwell), a sadistic medic whose scientific views clash with Jude's religion; and Dr. Thredson (Zachary Quinto), who must determine whether Kit is fit to stand trial for his supposed crimes, and who ends up becoming the lone voice of sanity amongst these characters.

If this all seems a little comical and exaggerated, that's not an unfair assessment; there's certainly an absurd undertone to all of this. And that's sort of the point: Tongue in cheek and blissfully controversial, the writers absolutely make it work.

The characters serve as metaphors for messages the writers want to get across. "Asylum" explores characters condemned for having interracial and LGBT relationships, the subservience of women to Catholic dogma, and degradation of the human condition itself by means of failed psychoanalyses. This show unflinchingly champions gay rights, gender equality, and anti-religion by exposing the narrow-minded sentiments of a 60's-era Catholic institution. Best of all, the show does not waste its time doing all of this gradually; rather, it throws uncomfortable truths right at the audience with less discretion than a battering ram.

Serving as a backdrop to all this is a setting that exudes the gritty atmosphere of Shutter Island. Also thrown into this mix is a dose of religious iconography, albeit highly sexualized and satirized.

The second episode of "Asylum" was practically an ironic nod to The Exorcist, while also paying homage to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in a perverse sort of way. And through it all, sweet nun music (ala the "Singing Nun" of 1963) plays in the background, simply adding to what is already a big exposition of crazy dichotomies.

There are a few mild criticisms one might make of the show so far. For one, there are brief interspersals of scenes that flash forward to the present, involving two newlyweds who encounter Bloodyface in the (now abandoned) asylum. These clips feel more like they belong in the noir-styled first season, rather than "Asylum," where they come off as anathema to what is supposed to be a period piece.

Another initial complaint has, at least on the part of this writer, quickly been withdrawn, and that is that the series lacked a coherent plot, short of shock tactics and scenes of morbidity. But on the contrary, the writers behind this show brought a solid storyline into the fold in a surprisingly subtle way, so that by episode two, the viewer could get hooked on all the characters' respective backstories and interactions.

Besides the raw, edgy punch this show delivers (likely breaking every taboo left on cable television), another driving force behind it is the flat-out brilliant acting. Jessica Lange and Zachary Quinto are arguably two of the best actors on TV.

Though "American Horror Story" (both of its installments so far) is certainly not for the easily offended, it will earn the appreciation of those who understand its complex characters and macabre humor. And its name, too, is well earned, as "Asylum" also depicts some real-life horror situations that were, quite honestly, made in America.

Photo: American Horror Story official Facebook page

"Arrow" is sharp, but has yet to hit its mark

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:29:00 +0000

The CW's latest comic book adaptation, "Arrow" is based on DC Comics' Green Arrow series, and follows the story of Oliver Queen, a rich playboy who has returned to the fictional Starling City after being stranded on a remote island for five years. He becomes a hooded, arrow-wielding vigilante by night, when he fights hit men and corporate criminals to try and rid the city of greed and corruption.

"Arrow" has elements of a modern-day Robin Hood; it also draws heavily on the grim-and-gritty approach taken by Christopher Nolan's Batman film trilogy. Though drawing just a few too many parallels to the Dark Knight, the format gradually pays off, as it allows the series to avoid the awful camp and soap opera of the CW's previous superhero show, "Smallville."

Queen (Stephen Amell) ends up on a deserted island after a shipwreck that takes the life of his father and his girlfriend's sister, along with countless other people. Five years later, he is rescued and returns home. No longer a careless billionaire with a big ego, Queen's ordeal has matured and hardened him. He has also picked up skills including hand-to-hand combat and archery. As per his father's dying wishes, he resolves to 'right the wrongs' of his family's corporation and other mega-companies, beginning with stopping millionaire Adam Hunt from scamming people out of money.

Amidst the streak of anti-corporatism, there's also plenty of plot and character development: Queen tries to conceal his identity from the watchful eye of his Iraq veteran bodyguard, keep his rebellious sister away from drugs, and make amends with now ex-girlfriend Laurel (Katie Cassidy) for having had an affair with her sister prior to the sister's death. Meanwhile, Queen's mother secretly orchestrates an unsuccessful kidnapping of her son (unbeknownst to Queen, who apparently doesn't have Batman's detective skills), and by episode two, Arrow becomes an enemy of the Chinese triads when he fights off a hired assassin.

Clearly, there are plenty of loose threads here waiting to be picked up in coming episodes.

It seems that "Arrow" is banking on the archery-based survivalism that has made films like The Hunger Games so successful. However, another new series (NBC's "Revolution") also tried that - and failed overwhelmingly. But "Arrow" also offers viewers the pleasure of seeing corporate CEOs strung upside-down by their ankles, and, plot-wise, has a lot more going for it than simply riding on the coattails of the bow-and-arrow craze.

Unfortunately, the show often suffers from flimsy, terrible dialogue, and is still having trouble finding its footing in 'emotional scenes.' But the action scenes - brilliantly shot and choreographed - are a definite plus.

With Green Arrow being a secondary comic series of lesser renown, this adaptation has quite a bit of work to do in order to create the desire for audiences to keep coming back each week. Interspersed flashback clips showing how Queen survived on the deserted island, and the mystery of Queen's scheming mother, are simply not intriguing enough to draw someone to the edge of their seat.

Much more interesting to fans will be seeing what characters from the comics make appearances in the show, and how well they are played. There should be no disappointment there; the acting on the show seems pretty solid, but there needs to be a tighter focus on it.

The show's stroke of fortune may just be that it has - perhaps purposefully - tapped into the zeitgeist of recession-plagued America, developing a clear-cut, pro-99 percent sort of hero. Though rich himself, Arrow's vigilantism has philanthropic undertones, making him a sort of Bill Gates in tights.

Though poised to become a suitable Wednesday night show, it needs a little tweaking here or there before its story can make the transition from 'serviceable' to 'suspenseful.' And though "Arrow" probably has a bright (re: dark) future ahead of it, Batman this show is not.

Photo: CW's "Arrow" official site

Radical ecology and the emergence of green metal

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:46:00 +0000

Part 2 of a 2-part article. Read part 1 HERE.

"If you listen to black metal, but don't know what phase the moon is in, or what wildflowers are blooming, then you have failed," said drummer Aaron Weaver of Washington's Wolves in the Throne Room. The band takes a hardline approach toward the need for environmental conscientiousness through music. "It is shocking to me that one could be seriously interested in black metal and not be deeply committed to radical ecology." His views are just one highlight of a new emergence of environmental activists who play some of the most abrasive, underground music in the world.

The new generation of working class people, which includes artists and musicians, is deeply angry over the careless assault on natural resources and habitat. The culprits are far too often right-wing climate change denial and Big Oil's profit-motivated, destructive activities. But many in the "green" black metal scene feel that those who fail to act or talk about these issues are just as much to blame. So this music, as of late, delivers a sonically chaotic summary - sometimes melancholic, sometimes furious - of what is happening to the world.

Now venturing far beyond its lyrical roots of the icy landscapes of Scandinavia, black metallers are no longer playing music of simple earthly admiration; they are trying to warn about the carelessness many have shown toward environmental preservation, and it is perhaps fitting that they are quite literally screaming their message to the world.

Big Business and capitalism killing the environment

One of the two members of Oregon's Velvet Cacoon, Josh, believes that Big Business and capitalism are killing the environment, and that equally aggressive means ought to be used to stop that. Velvet Cacoon's music certainly expresses such a sentiment. "Ever since I can remember, I have had a strong opposition to Big Business-global rape. The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed of environmentalists who would stop at nothing to punish those who deface this planet to satiate their own greed."

Josh added that many black metal artists in the U.S. today tend to congregate in very rural areas, as the tranquility and closeness to nature help to influence their music. "We are in a valley surrounded by rivers and pine forests. It is very cathartic for us. I believe we cannot help but be influenced [by it]. The landscape here serves as our inspiration and temple."

Due to their intense beliefs, Velvet Cacoon have sometimes been mistakenly referred to as 'eco-fascist black metal,' but stress that they in no way support fascism, and, quite the contrary, are motivated to protest the kind of environmental destruction that the political Right causes. "If anything," Josh elaborated, "we have moved Velvet Cacoon away from eco-fascist ideologies. We also wanted to keep [the band] from becoming a tool of propaganda." Instead, he suggested, Velvet Cacoon could be viewed as more of an environmental message in the form of "timeless art."

Josh noted that the band also opposes the misuse or overuse of technology to harm the world. "Our opposition occurs when people seek to exploit these things to satisfy their greed. Americans are taught at an early age that overindulgence is somehow a positive characteristic that should be strived for regardless of the goal, which usually results in blind carelessness that affects not only those around them, but future generations as well."

Band member Angela added, "Imagine what future generations will have to suffer through. What is this all for? So we can sustain a culture of lazy people by assuring nobody has to walk more than five steps, because, apparently, society has deemed that any form of exercise is unacceptable, and that we must think up new methods to ensure we suffer an epidemic of laziness and morbid obesity? Technology these days is marketed to gratify laziness."

She also outlined the importance for a certain survivalist instinct that living a bucolic life encourages. She explained that she actually hunts and catches her food, rather than buying processed or genetically modified products, some of which involved the senseless torture of animals. "I only eat chicken from a friend's farm. I catch my own fish as well. Oregon is so great because we have the best salmon in the world."

Becoming activists outside of music

These black metal artists, however, are playing to a scene that is altogether overlooked by many. Many of these bands get virtually no press coverage, and earn just enough money to scrape by (and sometimes less than that). That being said, their green messages aren't going to reach everyone. But more people are listening now. And many metal artists are taking a further step to become environmental activists outside of their music, as well:

The Agonist's Alissa White-Gluz has been working with PETA to stop Canadian seal killing for several years, and French metal band Gojira continuously donate the proceeds that go to their music to the anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd. And one can be sure that their activism in the real world is as intense as their music.

A recent blog entry by Noise Pollutio n summed up black metal's role in the environmental struggle: "In a region where government doesn't listen and nature is something to simply be paved over, perhaps art is the only real form of protest left.

"Black metal is the music of protest. The genre was conceived as a scream against the status quo and a blazing torch of anger tossed toward those who were comfortable with the way things existed. That's black metal's legacy, and part of the reason why it's still valid today. American eco-black metal could play that role by changing the way we look at nature.

"The fight for the future of the planet is taking place here and now."

Photo: The Agonist's Alissa White-Gluz, together with PETA, protests the torture of factory chickens. PETA

Environ-Metal: Where green is the new black

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:18:00 +0000

Part 1 of a 2-part article

The significance of environmentalism, and the value of Earth and science, has been a core part of music since the 60's. Pete Seeger related the need for environmental initiative to working class people, John Denver sang about the placidity of the Colorado wilderness, and Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" delivered green and animal welfare messages to the next generation. Today, new and aggressive underground genres are re-connecting with environmental activism, and metal - and its most abrasive subgenres - is no exception.

Metal itself is a countercultural form of music, often steeped in dark imagery and lyrical content that differs strongly from the everyday themes of modern rock and pop music. Black metal in particular consists of traits that may be altogether foreign to mainstream audiences: shrieked vocals, purposefully distorted guitar with heavy feedback, an almost militant drum beat, and unorthodox song structures and time signatures. It might be the last subgenre one would associate with environmentalism, and yet, over the past few years, more than a few black metallers are indeed screaming about saving the world.

Pioneers of what was to come

Looking back on black metal's inception in Scandinavia during the late 80's, the lyricism was not initially connected with progressive activism; it more or less centered on themes of morbidity or vehement criticism of religion, the latter of which remains a focal point of the music to this day. Fitting such messages was the imagery - still used at concerts to this day - known as "corpsepaint" - gruesome black-and-white facepaint that is often both tribal and carnivalesque.

Unfortunately, connections with arsons and other criminal activities plagued black metal for nearly two decades, and hindered its ability to develop a positive reputation with outside audiences. The association, albeit unintentional, with destructive behavior is not an element often associated with sympathy for the environment.

But even then, some black metal presented listeners with a focus on nature: bands like Immortal had contemplative lyrics about winter landscapes, glacial valleys, and dark forests. Their album artwork, too, espoused such atmospheric concepts, as can be seen on works like At the Heart of Winter.

Then there was Norway's Satyricon, with song titles like "My Tribute to the Winterland" and "Into the Mighty Forest." And in Poland, Behemoth wrote songs like "Thy Winter Kingdom" and "Transylvanian Forest."

Those bands that developed adoration for the environment were pioneers of what was to come.

A push to actually do something

Enter the current roster of black metal artists; by this time, the music has spread across the world. There are healthy scenes for this music everywhere from Argentina to Lithuania to the U.S. At some point, the lyricism shifted from a simple sense of oneness with bucolic landscapes, and was fine-tuned into a push to actually do something to preserve it - and a sense of outrage over the damage that is being done to the world.

Some such artists have burst onto the scene right here in the U.S., in the midst, ironically, of absolute environmental havoc (including such recent tragedies as the BP oil spill in New Orleans and ongoing water-tainting natural gas drilling throughout the country).

"Green" black metal bands include Wolves in the Throne Room, from Washington; Velvet Cacoon and Agalloch, both from Oregon; self-declared "eco-metal" band Avakr, from Indiana; and Panopticon, from Kentucky. And they feel they have more than enough reason to mourn the slow death of our environment at the hands of profit-driven interests.

The modern worldview is missing something

Wolves in the Throne Room drummer Aaron Weaver attempted to explain the complex ecological messages behind their music, remarking, "I think that [in terms of the environment] black metal is an artistic movement that is critiquing modernity on a fundamental level, saying that the modern worldview is missing something." Weaver seemed to observe a troubling phenomenon in which American people feel increasingly estranged from environmental concerns. What Wolves tries to do, he said, "is to essentially take that sadness and alienation and transform it into something that is positive and life affirming ... I view it as a Shamanic journey of sorts; a harrowing journey to come back to some sort of forgotten knowledge."

The next logical question is, once an artist has a knowledge and understanding of ecological problems, what might the next step be?

One approach is taking personal environmental responsibility in one's own life, and that is what Weaver does. "I'm interested in farming," he said. "Me and my partner Megan maintain a working organic farm, as well as some other people who live on our piece of land. Megan grows maybe a hundred different varieties of vegetables over the course of the year. We raise chickens and ducks. There's talk of trying to expand into growing a subsistence amount of grain, though it's difficult to do in our wet and rainy climate." In his daily life, Weaver tries to live in direct opposition to chemical fertilizers and mechanized agriculture, avoiding monster corporations that sell crop-poisoning pesticides, for instance.

"To us," Weaver continued, "the driving impulse behind black metal is more about deep ecology than anything else, and can be best understood through the application of eco-psychology. Why are we sad and miserable [in much of this music]? Because our modern culture has failed." The modern world is failing to sustain our environment, he stressed, and there is a fear - which the music elaborates on - that, "we can never return to that mythic, pastoral world that some of us crave on a deep subconscious level."

But black metal's ecological messages are by no means dejected or destructive in message or intent. "Our relationship with the natural world is a healing force in our lives," said Weaver. Black metal, he added, is very expressive of that.

This article is continued in Part 2.

Photo: Wolves in the Throne Room band members Nathan and Aaron Weaver. Alison Scarpulla/Wolves in the Throne Room official Facebook.

School vs. football: the fuss over Cardale Jones

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:45:00 +0000

Normally the thoughts and complaints of third-string freshman quarterbacks who have had nonexistent playing time would not be news. However, this time is different.

Cardale Jones, a freshman recruit at Ohio State University, made one of the most powerful and cogent critiques of the exploitative college athletic system in under 140 characters on Twitter.

Just a few days ago Jones tweeted, "Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain't come to play SCHOOL, classes are POINTLESS."

Many journalists and sportswriters have attacked Jones for being thoughtless and/or immature. Personal attacks aside, most of the stories on this topic have failed to see whether or not his statements about classes and "play[ing] school" have some basis in reality.

The institution of college sports has forced universities into a role of diminishing educational opportunities while consistently finding funds to participate in an endless "arms race" for athletics.

Instead of organizing a truly independent and paid-for minor league system for the NBA and NFL, the leagues and the NCAA have been able to get universities to channel billions into the college sports venture, at the expense of the institutions' central academic mission.

As universities across the nation are seeing budget cuts, staff layoffs/furloughs, increasing class sizes and skyrocketing tuition costs, many of these same schools have been able to find many millions of dollars to lavish on top-tier coaches for their football or basketball programs.

The "arms race" extends to facilities as well. For example, the University of Missouri sought to close the university printing press due to lack of funds. At the same time, the school was spending millions to refurbish and expand its football stadium. Of course, similar expenditure choices are taking place at universities all over the country.

However simplistic, Jones' tweet about "play[ing] school" seems to ring true when one looks at the realities that have subverted the supposedly core academic purpose of our nations colleges and universities.

One can rightfully criticize Jones for saying that "classes are pointless," but his point is not without merit. Too often universities don't appear to care whether or not the student athletes actually learn anything, but only that they go through the motions to maintain their eligibility.

There have been myriad scandals about player grade manipulation and academic dishonesty, with the most recent coming out of the University of North Carolina. Examples like this show how tragically common it is that colleges, instead of focusing on properly educating their student athletes, just focus on making sure that these young athletes maintain their ability to play on the court or field and make money for the school.

It is also true that many schools are having to develop tutoring programs to accommodate the number of players who lack basic skills like being able to read at even a junior high grade level. Such actions undercut the academic standards of the school in the name of the profit motive.

What Jones did, inadvertently or not, was highlight the very real hypocrisy and exploitation at the heart of the college sports industry.

Ultimately, he and some other players went to college, not because they wanted to attend college, but because they wanted to play football. Yet, for all the value they produce, they see no compensation.

Scholarships fail as compensation because there is no vested interest in ensuring the student athlete learns anything. Most scholarships also fail to cover the true cost of living at campuses.

Schools focus on a mythological ideal of amateurism and jump through ridiculously convoluted hoops to ensure that the cash keeps flowing to everybody except the students.

As Jones said, some came to play football. It is time to acknowledge the facts, pay the athletes for their labor and restore greater integrity and honesty to the higher education system.

Photo: Andrew Whitis // CC 2.0

Peter Norman: Third man in memorable Olympics protest

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:39:00 +0000

This October is the 44th anniversary of the 1968 Summer Olympics and one of the most iconic events in American history, the raised fists of U.S. track athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the medal stand.

Much has rightfully been written about the courageous stand of Smith and Carlos, the price they paid and the vindication they earned through the passage of time.

However, relatively little has been written and published in popular culture about the equally courageous man who occupied the second place podium in that memorable moment, an Australian named Peter Norman.

The spring and summer of 1968 was a tumultuous time, which is why the Olympics were moved to October. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April and Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down in June. August saw the Soviet army invading Czechoslovakia to quash dissent and the Chicago police brutalizing protests at the Democratic National Convention. Just days before the Games in Mexico City, the Mexican Army slaughtered demonstrating students in what became known as the Tlateloco Massacre. It is within this volatile crucible of political events that our story takes place.

In the year preceding the Games, a number of athletes, primarily athletes of color, had been organizing under the banner of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. The Olympians wanted the United States to boycott the Mexico City Games unless their four central demands were met. They were:

1) Reinstatement of Muhammad Ali's heavyweight boxing title as he was stripped for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War;

2) Ban all countries that practiced apartheid like South Africa and Rhodesia, especially if they sent all-white teams to the Games;

3) Remove Avery Brundage as head of the International Olympic Committee due to his long-time sympathizing with and apologist behavior for racist regimes;

4) More racially diverse hiring practices in coaching.

Although a boycott failed to develop, one of the most memorable acts in sports and political protest did.

As the awarding of the medals was being prepared, Smith and Carlos informed Norman of their intentions. He endorsed their act and suggested the glove-sharing that is visible in the photo since Carlos had forgotten his that fateful day. As the three were preparing to mount the medal stand, Norman ran over to another Olympian and borrowed his Olympic Project for Human Rights button which he proudly wore as Smith and Carlos raised their fists into the night sky.

The act of Smith and Carlos may have focused on U.S. discrimination and poverty, but it was a stunning rebuke of human rights violations around the globe.

The concept of human rights violations and discriminatory behavior was not foreign to Norman. His was a nation that did not allow Aboriginal people the right to vote until the 1970s and stole children away from Aboriginal families to assimilate them. By endorsing the Olympics protest and openly supporting the OPHR, Norman was, by association, standing up against his own government's unjust policies as well as supporting the Americans' protest against racial injustice.

When Peter Norman returned to Australia, he was publicly attacked by media figures and politicians and also faced reprisals on the track.

Despite qualifying a number of times for different races, the Australian government refused to send Peter Norman or any male sprinters to the 1972 Summer Games in Munich.

The attacks and reprisal got so bad that Norman ultimately left the sport. He died of a heart attack in 2006 at age 64. On the day of his funeral, Oct. 9, 2006, the U.S. Track and Field Federation named it Peter Norman Day to reflect the international importance Norman had. The camaraderie of the the three was apparent as Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at his funeral.

As time passed and vindication came for Smith and Carlos, it came this August to the family of Peter Norman. The Australian Parliament formally apologized for the treatment Norman received and lauded the incredibly courageous stand he took against injustice.

On this anniversary of the 1968 Olympics and the anniversary of his death, let us never forget the indelible impact of Peter Norman on sports, politics and the world in which we live.

Photo: Peter Norman, John Carlos and Tommie Smith perform their memorable protest at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Wikipedia

“Act of Killing” disturbingly depicts banality of evil

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:37:00 +0000

The noted German director Margarethe von Trotta (Rosa Luxemburg) features another powerful woman in her new drama Hannah Arendt. Arendt shocked the world with her controversial concept of "the banality of evil," describing the demeanor of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann at his 1963 trial that she attended as a journalist. She implied he operated unthinkingly, following orders, efficiently carrying them out, with no consideration of their effects upon those he targeted.

There were some who challenged Arendt's idea that ordinary people can commit evil acts because they simply follow orders. Some suggest people can become evil when they identify with evil ideology.

Two films screened this year at the Toronto International Film Festival focused on evil, reconciliation, and the tricky process of resolving violent acts of the past. Paul Saltzman's film "The Last White Knight," discussed in my previous column, addressed crimes against Southern Blacks and civil rights activists of the 1960s. Viewers are confronted by the genteel mannerisms of Klan leader Delay de la Beckwith. We find ourselves laughing and enjoying his charming Southern drawl and sense of humor, forgetting that his life of hate likely consisted of many horrible deeds against his fellow humans.

"Act of Killing," one of the most disturbing films ever made about anti-communism, addressed the killing of millions of alleged communists, ethnic Chinese, and intellectuals in Indonesia in the '60s.

In the process of making his 2003 film "The Globalization Tapes," an important worker's film exposing the role of militarism and repression in building the global economy (the entire film is available free on YouTube), filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer discovered that the 1965-66 Indonesian massacres were the dark secrets behind the country's entrance into the global economy. The military's purpose was to destroy the anti-colonial labor movement to provide cheap labor to foreign investors.

This happened after a military coup deposed President Sukarno and replaced him with the fervent anti-communist General Suharto. A bloodbath ensued and in the next year millions of communists and alleged supporters were viciously killed. This massacre was endorsed by the West and the atrocities were covered up. Sukarno solicited the help of gangsters who formed paramilitary gangs and anti-communist death squads.

After interviewing many of the survivors and hearing unbelievable stories of brutality, Oppenheimer decided to make a movie about the killers, most of whom are officially considered patriots and heroes in their country, with some even enjoying public office, and who boast of their killings.

Oppenheimer came up with a unique filming method, probably one of the only ways to get these mass murderers to participate in the project. Back in the '60s, one of the fiercest gangsters, Anwar Congo, spent many of his nights in the cinema watching American gangster films. When leaving the theater he would go across the street into the back room of the newspaper building where he tortured and killed dozens of suspected communists. He boasts he has killed hundreds with his own hands.

Congo's love of cinema drew him to this film, expecting to demonstrate for the camera, in the style of his gangster heroes, the ways in which he killed his victims, usually by wrapping a wire around their necks. It was less bloody and he could kill more efficiently. He and his associates mug to the camera, laugh, and try to imitate the victims' fears and behavior for the camera.

The gangsters create scenes from famous movies, with singers, dancers, costumes, and props for Oppenheimer to film them killing their victims, American style.

This nightmarish scenario of dream imagery and film style so shocked and impressed veteran filmmakers Erroll Morris and Werner Herzog that they signed on as executive producers. Herzog raved, "I have not seen a film as powerful, surreal, and frightening in at least a decade. It is unprecedented in the history of cinema."

Indonesia has never come to grips with its crimes against humanity. Before the coup, the Indonesian Communist Party was the largest in the world outside of a communist country. They fought against Dutch colonialism. The mass murders were ignored or covered up by most of the Western media. Today these murderers, death squads and paramilitary movements are still heroes in a land ruled by leaders who would make mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer blush.

Indonesia's Pancasila Youth, like a merger between the KKK and Boy Scouts, has a million members including government officials who meet regularly to praise their anti-communist history and brutal tactics. Child rape, torture, and most every unbearable human hate crime is portrayed as matter of fact in "Act of Killing," where even school children are treated to reenactments of how communists were killed by the death squads.

Oppenheimer has gone into strange new territory here, hoping to offer a cathartic effect for the murderers, several of whom start to question whether their actions were justified. Some start having nightmares, bad memories, and growing guilt. It's hard for some to play the victim in the film, because they really didn't know or understand the victims. But here they start to question.

Like South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the process has to start somewhere. Indonesia is a long way from South Africa, but to acknowledge the crimes, humanize the victims, and question purpose and ideology is a beginning. But in a country where the killers won, and built a society around their sickness, it's hard to imagine. And "Act of Killing" is without a doubt one of the most profound, disturbing, and unimaginable films made in a long time.

Photo: Wikipedia/official film site

NBC’s “Revolution” is not so revolutionary

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:55:00 +0000

"Revolution" is the latest network TV version of this familiar post-apocalypse scenario: A ragtag band must struggle for survival after a global catastrophe. This time the disaster isn't a nuclear war, plague, or zombie outbreak: electric power goes out in a worldwide blackout, leaving humanity helpless without the Internet, smartphones, etc. As order breaks down, ruthless militias take control of the countryside.

The story begins 15 years after the big blackout when the bad guys, the Monroe Militia, raid one of the idyllic communes the good guys have set up, in order to capture the father of young Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos), who is believed to have the secret to turning the power back on. A shootout ensues, Charlie's father is killed, and her brother Danny (Graham Rogers) is captured. Charlie finds herself on what NBC publicity calls "a daring coming of age journey," to reunite with her uncle, rescue her brother, restore the U.S.A., and reboot civilization.

Produced by J. J. Abrams ("Lost," "Fringe," "Alias"), "Revolution" has some of the feel of his other projects, but lacks their verve and originality. Abrams' method of taking customary tropes (e.g. island castaways, paranormal weirdness, spies) and putting a fresh spin on them falls short here. "Revolution" evokes the themes and looks of recent films and TV shows like "Terra Nova," "The Walking Dead," and "The Hunger Games," but fails to provide enough of a twist on the well-worn proceedings.

The "Revolution" storyline suggests many problems that the script (so far) doesn't have the imagination (or courage) to deal with. For example, the story takes place 15 years after the power outage, but the Midwest where the story takes place is inexplicably depopulated and overly verdant (i.e. ivy-covered skyscrapers). Was there a war or famine that killed off millions? If so, buildings are intact and the biosphere appears to be thriving. Were there mass suicides due to a lack of access to Facebook and Twitter?

One of the tragic side stories involves a former Google executive (Zak Orth) who says he would trade his $80 million "for a roll of Charmin." Also, while it's been 15 years since the apocalypse, through flashbacks we learn that civilization began to collapse just eight weeks after the outage! Civil society existed for thousands of years before electricity, yet it can't survive for more than a few weeks without it? Which begs the question, is this society really that precarious? And why? As NBC (parented by General Electric) explains in the show's publicity, "our entire way of life depends on electricity."

Just what is the "revolution" of "Revolution?" The "politics" of post-electricity America exist to provide excuses for shoot-outs, swordfights, explosions, and lines like, "You should have killed me when you had the chance." Out of the post-blackout disorder and rapid collapse of the U.S. government arises the Monroe Militia, a multiracial band of bullies who favor feudal social relations and Civil War era fashion. Although called a "militia," a term that evokes racist, reactionary survivalists, the Monroe-ites instead exhibit tendencies that the tea party associates with the left, mainly an intolerance for privately-owned firearms and a consuming hatred for the USA. In an irony that "Revolution" shows no interest in exploring, the Constitution itself associates gun ownership with "a well regulated militia."

Militia leader Captain Tom (Giancarlo Esposito, riveting as the cold-blooded meth entrepreneur Gustavo in "Breaking Bad") could be seen as a reference to the ultra-right's delusional image of Barack Obama: an anti-American despot. Presented with an American flag retrieved from a rebel's house, he orders his men to "burn it." This connection, however, is surely unintentional; the series' makers are clearly going for made-for-TV patriotism, not outrageous political camp.

Therein lies the main problem with "Revolution:" the premise suggests many interesting possibilities, none of which are taken up by the storyline. The series brings up intriguing questions it has no intention of answering, such as: Why would the rebels be so willing to risk their lives to resurrect a governance system with so little popular support that it collapsed in a matter of months? Or, given that the first Industrial Revolution happened before electrification, and was driven by steam power, why couldn't humanity explore alternative power sources? And finally, what's more interesting: yet another tedious post-apocalyptic power struggle, or the social leveling that happens when a one-percenter runs out of toilet paper?

"Revolution" is on NBC on Mondays. Check your local listings for time.

Photo: NBC

“Last White Knight:” Is reconciliation possible in Mississippi?

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:02:00 +0000

Director Paul Saltzman's first feature, "Prom Night in Mississippi," dealt with a challenge to the long-standing tradition of having separate black and white proms in the traditionally racist state of Mississippi. His sequel was to be called "Return to Mississippi," with him acting as travelogue narrator showing how the state had changed or not changed. But instead he made "The Last White Night," which is every much a tribute to the art of reconciliation as it is a travelogue of the civil rights movement as seen through the eyes of a lone Canadian SNCC volunteer.

In 1965, at the idealistic age of 21, Saltzman found himself on the streets of Greenwood, Mississippi, with the intent of registering black people to vote. It wasn't but a short time later that a powerful fist plowed into his face and knocked him almost unconscious - a typical "welcome" by the local KKK to the unwanted "outside agitators" attempting to disrupt their comfortable life of injustice in the South. Paul ended up in jail.

Years later, in "The Last White Night," he searches for the man who did this. Delay de la Beckwith ends up being a Klan member whose father killed Medgar Evers. But in an amazing twist to the story, Saltzman finds a point of consensus and strikes up an unlikely friendship with this charming genteel Southerner, eventually inviting him to Toronto to be interviewed. Saltzman's uncanny skill at meeting this racist being on a human level, always asking the right questions, makes one wonder where he acquired this ability. "I studied meditation while in India working on a film," he says. "I also read Gandhi, and a very impressionable book by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, titled 'Non-Violent Communication.'"

Saltzman's upbringing consisted of Jewish parents who had memories of the Russian pogroms and being saved by the Bolsheviks. His father was a fiscally conservative communist, a union organizer in Montreal, but more interested in saving the world than showing love to his family. However, his parents instilled the sense of fairness, equity and non-prejudice that might have prompted that young Toronto student to travel deep into the land of hate and prejudice. He summarizes, "It doesn't matter what you call yourself if you haven't learned to love people on a personal level. I would call myself a liberal. Justice is what's important."

He explains what really prompted him to go South: "When you're 21 you think you're invincible. I read in the news about the three guys who were killed. It impacted me deeply. The next summer I volunteered with SNCC. Went to D.C. to learn about non-violent resistance."

When he arrived, a friend said, "You know you can't change people's minds about integration and equality." He responded, "This isn't about changing people's minds. You have the right to hate anyone you want, but you don't have the right to stop people from voting because they're black."

In the movie that recreates some of his experiences, the more violent scenes are cleverly treated in animation to fill in for the lack of archival footage. The film includes interviews with noted figures such as Medgar Ever's brother Charles, Morgan Freeman (who helped him on "Prom Night"), Harry Belafonte, and activist Jimmy Travis. Knowing his commitment to SNCC and the civil rights movement, they all volunteered their time to help bring the story alive.

But the most striking aspect of the film is Saltzman's unbelievable conversations with Beckwith, his racist opponent, still a proud member of the Klan, certainly guilty of many obscene crimes. "My interest was to understand him, because I think that is a key to non-violent communication," Saltzman says. He adds, "It's quite easy to move beyond prejudice if you invite people into looking within themselves. We all have it. There's not a human being in the world who doesn't have some prejudice. A negative thought is truly a training, it comes from somewhere else, because as everyone knows, children aren't prejudiced at all, until they are taught that. So you can unlearn that. And the way to unlearn that is to just hear your own thinking."

Saltzman overcame his prejudice about Southern "rednecks," which allowed him to see the human side of Beckwith, to develop constructive conversation that eventually allowed the beginning of reconciliation, the revelation of truth and hope for the future. This is the core process that informed the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and many others that followed.

So has Mississippi changed? A person who's been there many times, Harry Belafonte, confesses in the movie, "People tell me that things have changed. And yet, I don't trust Mississippi." We've certainly got a long way to go, but this movie is revelatory, profound and moving. It lays the groundwork for a constructive method of dealing with violence in society. It keeps you engrossed from the first minute to the last.

Paul Saltzman made over 300 TV shows and films before "Prom Night," which was the first of his "educational" films. He is available to travel with "The Last White Night" and discuss his experiences along with the art of reconciliation.

Photo: Director Paul Saltzman. Bill Meyer/PW

Anti-teacher-union “Won’t Back Down” flunks at box office

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:22:00 +0000

"Won't Back Down," the Hollywood movie portraying teachers unions as pretty much the devil, has set the record for the worst opening since 1982 for films appearing in more than 2,500 theaters. For this dubious distinction it beat out a list of amazingly forgettable titles like "Punisher: War Zone" and "Josie and the Pussycats."

The film, pushed hard by anti-union advocate Michelle Rhee and her StudentsFirst group, opened Sept. 28 to poor reviews nationally. It got a low 33 percent approval rating on film site Rotten Tomatoes' survey of movie critics and an even worse 18 percent rating from the site's designated "top critics."

Kenneth Turan at the LA Times called the film "so shamelessly manipulative and hopelessly bogus it will make you bite your tongue in regret and despair."

Mary Pols at Time Magazine said "Won't Back Down" is a "cheesy, wholly manipulative" film that presents the local teachers union as the devil. "Teachers unions are by no means perfect, but Won't Back Down turns them into public school enemy number one," Pols wrote.

The New York Times' A. O. Scott, noting that, "pious expressions of concern for 'the children' are usually evidence of a political agenda in overdrive," wrote that "Won't Back Down" is "an especially blatant example of this rule." The movie's "Manichaean core," he said, is this: "Once teachers give up job security and guaranteed benefits, learning disabilities will be cured, pencils will stop breaking and the gray skies of Pittsburgh will glow with sunshine. Who could be against that?"

"'When did Norma Rae become a bad guy?' one of the union heavies asks, and it is a question that might well be directed at the filmmakers," wrote Scott.

And the Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea called it "a kind of 'Norma Rae' for the Paul Ryan set."

The film has been strongly criticized by parent activists like Philadelphia's Helen Gym.

On the day of the movie's opening, Working America posted a list of "10 Reasons Not to See 'Won't Back Down'."

It noted that the film "promotes the 'parent trigger' law, an ALEC-created policy proposal that turns public schools into privately-run charter schools." ALEC is the far-right policy group that has promoted "Arizona's draconian immigration law, Pennsylvania's disenfranchising voter ID law, and Wisconsin's union-busting Act 10," Working Families noted. So-called parent trigger laws have only been used twice in real life, and both instances have created "legal and community disasters," as a Salon.com review pointed out.

In addition to Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst, the film is being heavily promoted by right-wing groups including the Heritage Foundation, Freedom Works, and the Chamber of Commerce.

"Won't Back Down" was produced by Anschutz Film Group, a subsidiary of Walden Media, both subsidiaries of the Anschutz Company, whose chair and CEO is billionaire Philip Anschutz. Anschutz funds right-wing groups and ballot initiatives. According to a New Yorker profile, he is a frequent contributor to the anti-union National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, and is close to the far-right Koch brothers.

Earlier Hollywood movies about schools such as "Stand and Deliver" and "Mr. Holland's Opus" were successful, as was the legenday "Norma Rae" which celebrated unions. So these topics can't be the reason why "Won't Back Down" bombed, as some suggest. Those other films did not have a crude far-right, anti-union agenda, however.

Perhaps audiences have better judgment than Michelle Rhee and the trendy anti-teacher-union crowd.

Photo: Teresa Albano/PW

"Looper" is a neo-noir mind bender done right

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:11:00 +0000

Despite the current influx of "all form and no content" movies, it seems that, once or twice a year, a cerebral sci-fi film comes along, bursting with originality and innovation. "In Time" did it in 2011, and "Inception" wowed audiences the year before. This year brought us "Looper" - a brooding time-travel story that is uncommonly smart and subtle.

Letting your loop run

The story is set in the year 2044, where we learn that time travel (which won't be invented until 2074) is used by future mobsters to send victims into the present. Young hired guns called loopers than execute them on the spot in exchange for handsome fees. When the crime syndicate that hired them wants to close their contract, they send the looper's older version back in time to be killed by his younger self. This is referred to as "closing your loop." But looper Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fails to terminate his older self (played by Bruce Willis) - this is called "letting your loop run." What happens next sets the pace for the rest of the film.

Young Joe soon learns about the Rainmaker, a crime lord who is purposely closing everyone's loops. Young Joe is determined to kill his older self and fulfill his contract, but his boss Abe (Jeff Daniels) sends a group of hit men to dispose of them both, forcing the two Joes to flee.

Young Joe learns that Old Joe wants to find and kill the Rainmaker as a child - before he can grow up to become a vicious criminal. After stealing a map from Old Joe, Young Joe follows its coordinates to a farm owned by Sara (Emily Blunt) and her son Cid - the kid Rainmaker. Though Young Joe learns what Cid is capable of, his perspective on things changes as he attempts to protect Sara and her son.

A very possible, if unpleasant, future

The U.S. depicted in "Looper" has a definite neo-noir look and feel, but it also portrays a very possible, if unpleasant, future, in which the country has experienced unprecedented economic collapse, and ghettos and strip clubs intersperse a wasted cityscape. Naturally, the rich one-percenters have all the fun toys, like futuristic flying vehicles and cannon-like guns used by loopers.

Some people have developed a mutation that allows them to use telekinesis (fear not - the story never wanders into superhero territory). Though initially a head-scratching element thrown into the story seemingly haphazardly, telekinesis goes on to become an important part of the film.

As far as the cast is concerned, Gordon-Levitt was phenomenal; he deserves more lead roles like this, but luckily, he seems to have a penchant for taking part in original, entertaining films (see "Inception" and the recent "Premium Rush"). Willis was great, giving Old Joe equal parts wistfulness and attitude. Daniels played the part of the villain immensely well - a real calculating creep with a sense of humor to boot. It's a bit sad that his screen time was limited.

Provoking deeper questions

Time travel stories are risky business. Many come off as bouncing tumbleweeds of cliché and stagnation, or else are overly complicated to the point of becoming self-contradicting, chronological nightmares. "Looper" broke stereotypes, got the theoretical science right (to a point, anyway), and even took a step back to laugh at itself ("I don't want to talk about time travel shit," says Willis at one point. "Because if we start, we're gonna be here all day, making diagrams with straws").

Speeding along as an action-packed time crisis thriller, "Looper" takes sharp left turns, where it deals surprisingly well with human emotions and metaphors for real-world issues.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to think about is that, by closing their loops, these mobsters are committing suicide by proxy, and the bottom line is money. That's an interesting way to sum up the real world problem of gangs, where youth are convinced they'll "have it all" and are slowly thrown into the proverbial gutter by a capitalist system. It's a zero-sum game, with the sacrifice being one's own life. Loopers seem to represent that in full, and provoke deeper questions about the value of human life and hope in the face of desperation.

The film, especially toward the end, also deals with inevitability, and the pragmatism that ought to be exercised for the good of the many.

As for the multi-layered ideas of "closed loops" and "repetitive time loops," don't worry if the brainy chrono-science is a little confusing. You can always diagram these things with straws after the movie.

"Looper"

Written and Directed by Rian Johnson

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels

2012, 118 mins., R

Photo: "Looper" has received near-critical acclaim as one of the best sci-fi films in decades. Looper movie official site

Films from Israel and Palestine address tough issues

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:34:00 +0000

Part 5 of a series. See part 4, 3, 2, and 1.

Two new and totally different films about Palestinian refugee camps premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.

When I Saw You is the first Arab film set in the turbulent times of the 1967 war. Eleven-year-old Tarek and his mother along with tens of thousands of refugees pour into a temporary refugee camp still housing residents from the 1948 Nakba. Overcrowded and poorly supplied, many have already lost a sense of being. But this is a time of hope with people fighting back, including the newly formed PLO along with liberation and anti-colonialist struggles all over the world. With a longing for his father and unaware of the newly defined borders, Tarek leaves his mother and the dread of camp life, takes off to the hills looking for freedom, and finds a group of resistance fighters training to regain their land. He quickly assimilates with this ragtag bunch as they afford him the hope and dreams of a better tomorrow.

Annemarie Jacir proved her skills in directing the award-winning Salt of This Sea, Palestine's Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Film. Here she has created one of the most beautiful fantasies from one of the most tragic spots on earth. With a deep humanist style, some of the most attractive, believable and talented actors, including the amazing non-professional Mahmoud Asfa as Tarek, Ruba Blal as his mother and Saleh Bakri as the fedayeen leader, Jacir has brilliantly captured the beauty of the Palestinian people, and their hopes for a better life, in a deeply moving film.

Jacir was born and lived in the region until 16, then came to the U.S. for film studies. Although she has returned to live in Jordan she is denied the right to return to Ramallah in the West Bank. She lives now, as many Palestinians do, quite near the home that she will never be able to return to. Her personal experiences have infused her stories along with most of the actors who also come from the area.

The Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon called Ain El-Heweh was home to Mahdi Fleifel in his formative years. He was able to leave, but visits frequently and takes movies. Motivated by a striking statement by David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, about the dispossessed Palestinians, that one day "the old will die and the young will forget," Fleifel began to edit and assemble over 30 years of family footage to make sure the young will not forget. He has created perhaps one of the most touching "home movies" that have ever travelled the film festival circuit. A World Not Ours features, among many, the resilient grandfather Abu Osama, the tragic loner Uncle Said and lifelong friend Abu Iyad, who has never been able to leave the camp. Osama is constantly chasing the noisy kids away from his little spot in the alley where he hopes for some peace and quiet. Uncle Said, considered by some to be the village idiot, was a lot different before his brother was killed during the civil war in the 1980s. Iyad, who has gone through loyalty to almost every political faction that existed in the camp, is constantly trying to find a way out.

The richness of the characters, the catchy soundtrack, the innovative editing has resulted in a film that draws the viewer into a family as real as your own. The priceless ticket Mahdi owns to enter at such intensity this unseen world of refugees affords us the rare opportunity to see the reality and beauty of the people as we would never see otherwise. Young Irish-born producer Patrick Campbell has formed Nakba Filmworks along with Mahdi to help distribute this timely and wonderful film. They are proving that home movies can be turned into a meaningful work of art.

Another Palestine film, this time filmed within Israel, tells the tale of a prominent Palestinian doctor (Ali Suliman) working in Israel who slowly discovers his missing wife might be the person who exploded a bomb in a restaurant. He travels to the West Bank to find those persons who might have been responsible for turning her into a terrorist. The Attack, based on a book by Yasmina Khadra, is as much an intrigue as a philosophical exploration of violence as an option for social liberation. Why would someone choose to strap a bomb on themselves and kill innocent people? Are they a religious fanatic, a freedom fighter or possibly insane? The story shatters stereotypes by bringing understanding and humanism to those who choose violence for social change. No answers here, but rather a profound examination of the realities of the struggle in Palestine. It's no coincidence that the film is produced by the great French Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb, who often in his films has dramatized the plight of his people in their quest for freedom from French occupation. Violence is seldom the first choice, but often the last choice.

The big-budget producers who brought you An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for Superman, present State 194, laying out a defense of the two-state solution, as exemplified by the Palestinian Authority in its UN bid for statehood last year. Not that the two-state option or statehood is wrongheaded, but thanks to Israeli settlement expansion there is little land left to be considered for a state, and what does remain is like Swiss cheese. Despite this, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad struggles to meet the World Bank and IMF criteria for statehood, hoping to create a thriving capitalist economy amid the declining landmass of Palestine. Israeli political leaders have no intention of allowing this to happen, rather preferring to drive Palestinians out of their own land, or be conjoined with the world's largest outdoor prison, the Gaza Strip. This film, with possible good intentions, implying that Palestinians really are capable of running their own state, goes out of its way to appease the corporate world and avoid criticism of Israel.

Two other Israeli films I was unable to see. The Gatekeepers features six leaders of the dreaded Israeli security force Shin Bet lamenting their leaders' failures to create a stable Israel that feverishly builds settlements in the West Bank, among other foolish things. I mean, what's going to be left to create a Palestinian state? And if you can't have two states, what's the other choice? One state with a majority of Palestinians.

Zaytoun, directed by Eran Riklis who gave us some beautiful humanist films about Palestinians (Lemon Tree, Syrian Bride, Human Resources Manager), is about a shot down Israeli fighter pilot who cleverly arranges with a young Palestinian refugee to find their way back home out of Lebanon. His films have about as much respect and compassion for Palestinians as Israeli films are allowed to have.

More information about the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival is at the festival website.

Photo: Salt of This Sea website.

Unique films from North Korea, Chile, Argentina

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:01:00 +0000

Part 4 of a series about films at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. See parts 1, 2, and 3.

It isn't often you see films from North Korea - or anything from North Korea, the forbidden planet - demonized in Western media and relegated to obscurity.

Well, a couple persistent souls kept knocking on the door, and finally were let in - to make a movie. British director/producer Nicholas Bonner spent the last 20 years in China visiting North Korea monthly, and starting a cultural exchange program. He's produced four films about North Korea that are a testament to goodwill and perseverance. His first feature film, "Comrade Kim Goes Flying," screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, is so fresh and unique that it defies all the norms of cinema that Westerners expect.

It's the first film shot in North Korea by outsiders and edited outside the country. A film that's purer than a G rating, with more colors than you knew existed, and a cast of the most sincere, polite characters that have ever been scripted in an action film. Twenty-eight-year-old Kim Yong Mi, a bemedalled coal miner, wants to be a flying trapeze artist. This is a woman's dream that is rare in North Korea, if not most everywhere. She gains support of her fellow coalminers and when she moves to Pyongyang for a construction job she visits the circus. They happen to be holding trials for a position in the trapeze team and Kim tries out. She fails, but wait, this is a fantasy film from North Korea. All dreams can come true if you just work hard enough. She never gives up. Much like the Belgian and British directors who started on this project as a short story six years ago. With amazing diplomacy, and a bit of luck, they gained a Korean director and producer that helped them navigate through the North Korean uniqueness.

North Korean film stars were so charmed by this film that they were willing to play smaller roles to the new leads. The lead roles are actually acrobats trained as actors, rather than the other way around. The acrobatics are stunning, as is the fun of watching an entire film industry you never knew existed.

Another North Korea themed film screened in Toronto is "Girl From the South." Back in 1989, Argentinian filmmaker José Luis Garcia traveled, along with thousands of world youth, to North Korea to attend the last Soviet-sponsored World Festival of Youth and Students. He took rare VHS footage of the thousands of politically charged students, including one beautiful young South Korean girl, Lim Sukyung, who managed to travel illegally to North Korea, spoke of reunification, and was the hit of the festival. She traveled all over the country and charmed most of the young revolutionaries, as well as the North Koreans. Garcia had absolutely no restrictions on filming there. When he returned, the rare, valuable footage sat in storage for decades.

Twenty years later, with nostalgia and an unspoken attraction for the lovely Korean girl, he decides to go back to find out what happened to her. He discovers she was immediately arrested when she crossed the Green Line back to South Korea and spent years in prison.

After much searching he finds her teaching in a school, but now she is much different than he imagined her to be back in the idealistic days of youth. She rebuffs his attempts to involve her in this film project, evades and disappoints him in every turn, but somehow ends up in Argentina, where she is interviewed by the director. His complicated relationship with the grown and jaded Lim confuses and diminishes the second half of the film. But Girl From the South is valuable to see if only for the rare World Youth Festival footage that marked the days when progressive world youth gathered in the thousands to try to effect world change.

Another film from Argentina, "Clandestine Childhood," addresses a more serious topic, that of the young people who either lost their parents or were kidnapped or murdered during the military dictatorship. The semi-autobiographical account of director Benjamin Avila's years hiding out with his activist parents and other family members, lays the basis for another powerfully dramatic and poignant statement about youth in wartime.

And next door in Chile, a story about another dictatorial regime is given a fresh approach. It was 9/11 at the Toronto Film Festival and many minds were on the tragic events in New York and D.C. in 2001. But one of the enlightened volunteers working the rush ticket line reminded patrons about the other 9/11: the day in 1973 that Gen. Augusto Pinochet led a military coup that overthrew the elected Socialist president of Chile, Salvador Allende and launched a wave of terror.

It was no coincidence that filmgoers lined up to see the latest Gael Garcia Bernal political thriller, "NO," about the 1988 public referendum to either extend Pinochet's dictatorship for eight more years or not. The odds were stacked against the "No" vote, with little hope against a rigged election funded by U.S. capitalist interests hoping to create the facade of an electoral victory to legitimize our dictator in Chile - until a young brash skateboarding advertising executive was hired to head the "No" campaign.

Bernal, coming off a string of progressive hits including "Motorcycle Diaries" and "Even the Rain," confidently plays the young adman, René Saavedra, who is charged with convincing people not only to vote 'No," but to vote at all. The opposition is given 15 minutes of TV time daily, on government television, which means the government has the rest of the day to plug for the dictator and discredit the No campaign. Saavedra also has to convince the left of his approach to promote a positive "happy" message of a "NEW Chile" with a rainbow symbol and absence of any negative footage of the Pinochet era.

The film was shot in the old 4:3 aspect ratio to match archival footage from the period, and real TV ads were used, featuring American film stars that supported the "No" vote, such as Jane Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss, and the late Christopher Reeves. A thrilling, uplifting sound score includes excerpts from Shostakovich's "Jazz Suite" and Victor Jara's powerful songs of struggle. Of course, we know the result of the election. To see it portrayed on screen is thrilling and empowering.

Photo: Wikipedia