Author: James McNally

They Chose China (Canada, 2005, Director: Shui-Bo Wang, 52 minutes): An utterly compelling look at a forgotten group of US prisoners of war who refused to be repatriated to the United States after the Korean War. At the time, these 20-odd soldiers were branded “turncoats and traitors’ by red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy. In archival films, we see them making statements against Senator McCarthy and the current political climate in America, and although many of these archival films seem to have been created for propaganda reasons by the Chinese, the men claim that they were never mistreated in the prisoner-of-war camps. In fact, we see them organizing games and sports, even an “Inter-Camp Olympics”! Of course, having these men stay in China was a huge propoganda coup and they were quickly sent for “education” on the history of socialism and the Chinese Communist Party. Despite that, some stayed and even married in China. Gradually, most of the men returned to the United States, where they faced courts martial and scorn from the media and public.

It was a strange and almost forgotten episode in the Cold War and there is still a lot of ambiguity about what really motivated the men to stay. At the time, the American media speculated that they had been brainwashed (like in The Manchurian Candidate), but it didn’t appear that simple. It was just as clear that when the men returned home, the media used them in its own sort of propaganda war. One man’s interview with Mike Wallace was painful to watch, as Wallace continued to use the term “turncoat and traitor” over and over again. They were very different times.

The director’s voice over, in Chinese-accented English, was sometimes a little difficult to follow, but he did make clear that he considered these men heroes for trying to build bridges between enemies, and I’d tend to agree with that sentiment, even with so many questions left unanswered.

More information on the film from the National Film Board of Canada

(8/10)

EYE Weekly: *** (out of 5) (review)

Raised To Be Heroes (Canada, 2005, Director: Jack Silberman, 53 minutes): A portrait of several “refuseniks,” Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories, this film revealed a side of Israeli society that we rarely get to see on the nightly news. Not exactly pacifists, these men simply think that their role in the Israeli Defence Forces is to defend Israel, and that what they’re being asked to do has nothing to do with that role. In fact, many of them say they are being asked to commit war crimes against civilians on a regular basis, and so they have decided to face the consequences of disobeying their orders. For many of them, it involves long stretches in military prisons, but as one reserve officer said, he felt his 21 days in military prison did more to serve his country than all his years of obeying his superiors.

The film skilfully weaved bits of Israel’s history into the narrative so we got a bit of context for the men’s protests, and although it’s dangerous to simplify the political situation in the Middle East, for these men, their decision reflects their real conviction that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza are morally wrong. Unfortunately, the director was ill and couldn’t attend the screening, so while there was a short Q&A, I think it could have been more interesting had the director been in attendance. The film did bring up important issues surrounding the (potential) conflicts between duty and morality.

More information on the film from the National Film Board of Canada

(9/10)

EYE Weekly: *** (out of 5) (review)

Runners High (USA, 2006, Directors: Justine Jacob and Alan D. Da Silva, 85 minutes): I am a total sucker for the inspirational sports doc, and every year I seem to gush about at least one of them. But even though this follows a tried-and-true formula, I never cease to be amazed at what teenagers can do when they’re motivated and given a little help from some caring adults.

The film tells the story of four teens involved in a program called Students Run Oakland, which recruits “at-risk” high-schoolers to join a four-month training program to run the Los Angeles Marathon. There’s a lot of sweat and tough love and in the end, no real surprises, but I still felt a huge rush of emotion watching these kids actually make it to Los Angeles to join 25,000 other runners. And I wasn’t alone. The audience burst into spontaneous applause several times near the end of the film. There was some great use of sound; for instance, after all the hoopla at the start of the marathon, when the runners are out there at mile 18 or something, all they can hear are the sounds of their shoes hitting the pavement, their laboured breathing, and the pounding of their hearts. I haven’t run a full marathon, but have run a lot of shorter races, and this felt true to my experience. Running is monotonous, it’s lonely, but when you accomplish something, there really is a “runner’s high.”

Visit the film’s web site

(10/10)

Beyond Beats: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs In On Manhood In Hip-Hop Culture (USA, 2006, Director: Byron Hurt, 62 minutes): Byron Hurt is a former college quarterback and a huge hip-hop fan. But after he begins a job as a college counselor conducting programs for men about violence against women, he begins to look at his beloved music in a new light. This film is a record of his attempt to understand why hip-hop is so obsessed with images of violence, misogyny and homophobia. Hurt uses the metaphor of a box to describe the narrow image of masculinity in which black men are trapped, and he backs this up with numerous interviews with academics, hip-hop artists, and fans. Also interesting (and actually hilarious) are his deconstructions of rap videos, which are filled with the same ridiculous cliches repeated again and again.

I applaud him for trying to take on so many controversial issues in rap music, but it was discouraging to see so many people unwilling or unable to engage him on these subjects. When he brings up the issue of homophobia with Busta Rhymes, for instance, the rapper gets up and leaves. An executive from BET refuses to answer his questions, and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons gives him only evasive answers. All in all, it’s clear that most people don’t see these issues as problems, especially when rap music is making them all so much money.

The only flaw in this film is that it was too short. I’d love to see a longer version, or even better, a longer series about these issues where the filmmaker could pursue some answers over an extended period. Gadflies like Byron Hurt will need to be patient if they want to see anything change, and I hope that he can document the process even more comprehensively. It’s definitely worth watching.

Visit the director’s web site

(9/10)

NOW Toronto: NNN (out of 5) (review)
EYE Weekly: ***** (out of 5) (review)

Heavy Metal Jr. (Scotland, 2005, Director: Chris Waitt, 24 minutes): Hatred are a heavy metal band from Scotland. And they’re all under 13 years old. This hilarious film follows the band as they prepare for their first ever live performance. In the weeks before their show, their bassist quits, and they have to write some original songs to perform. One of the best parts of the film was watching their manager (the drummer’s father) show them some showbiz moves of his own. Along the way, we get some insight into band dynamics that wouldn’t seem out of place in a film like This Is Spinal Tap, except with parents as stand-ins for managers and girlfriends.

By the end, though, I was really pulling for the lads, and watching them perform their three original songs (including a catchy little ditty entitled “Satan Rocks”) in front of an audience of pensioners and teenyboppers dressed in pink was actually heartwarming. The sight of them signing autographs afterward just reinforced for me why all boys get into rock bands anyway: for the chicks.

(8/10)