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Post by Librarian on Apr 5, 2004 20:58:27 GMT -5
I saw two great documentaries this weekend, Spellbound and The Lost Boys of Sudan. I can't recommend them enough. Spellbound follows eight kids to the US National Spelling Bee It is an eye opener. Funny and heartwarming.
The Lost Boys of Sudan really got to me. It is about refugees from the Sudan who are brought to the US. It encapsulates innocence. Several tribes in the Sudan have been the victims of genocide brought against them by Islamic Fundamentalists. The losts boys are a group of Dinka who lost their families and were taken in by another village in the Sudan. They are the sweetest group of men that are sent to the US to go to school and make money to send back to their village. At first they see the US as a haven, but quickly realize that it is harsh reality as well. They have never seen a grocery store or an oven.
You watch as they come to terms with their new environment having to deal with money orders, the fact that they can no longer be openly affectionate in the US for fear of being accused of homosexuality and the worst -- dealing with the "lonely". They were such a close community and their journey to the US was going to split them up among states not to mention from the rest of their village.
I was so impressed with these young men - particularly one boy who ends up making the honor roll in high school.
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Post by hurltomato on Apr 5, 2004 22:12:25 GMT -5
You watch as they come to terms with their new environment having to deal with money orders, the fact that they can no longer be openly affectionate in the US for fear of being accused of homosexuality and the worst -- dealing with the "lonely" The distortion of male to male affection may come to haunt one day. There is support and true friendship relayed through these human gestures, that could be lost if society allows it. How sad that the hard trial of war and battlefield grief tells the real story of how much young and older alike need the physical closeness of comrade affection and physical touch to erase human hurts... HurlT
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Post by texasgal on Apr 5, 2004 23:01:45 GMT -5
HT, I agree. That business of the boys not being able to touch each other really stood out to me.
Seems to me we Americans in particular are so uptight about gender & sex etc. Our society's attitude is really contradictory - and toxic. American men should be more like Italian men who touch each other without any homosexual meanings necessarily intended or understood.
American men should be more like the WILSONS and all the guys associated with them. They seem to touch each other more than most guys do, both in their photos and in their movies. (OK S&H is an exception because S&H was MEANT to continue that theme from the tv show.)
Studies have shown that babies suffer brain damage - even death - if they are never held. But why should that kind of damage end with maturity?
One of the characteristics of autism is dislike of being touched. Shouldn't all this tell us then that there's something NORMAL and HEALTHY about being touched?
I'll bet human beings need to be touched all their lives. The only time anyone ever touches me is when I get my therapeutic massage once every 3 or 4 weeks.
Well, I've just kind of gone off on a rant and revealed way more about myself than I intended! Hmmm.... wonder where all this is coming from?
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Post by Librarian on Apr 5, 2004 23:10:56 GMT -5
Yeah. To me it really stood out in the film as well. When you first meet the boys it is in their village before they are sent to the US. They walk around holding hands and are so tender - referring to one another as "Dear One". Apparently someone conveyed to them that this would not go over in the US. They joke about it, but you can tell it is only adding to the separation for them. Collectively their parents were massacred when they were four and they've grown up together. They are all that is left of their tribe.
But their story is not entirely sad. They come to the US and do really well relatively speaking. I think the story is uplifting in the end.
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Post by LegallyLukes on Apr 6, 2004 5:08:39 GMT -5
I've heard about Spellbound and always wanted to see it. Sounds quite funny. As for boys not being able to touch, that's silly. I guess a lot of people don't get that you can be affectionate without necessarily being sexual. Plus, have you seen Queer Eye? Being accused of being gay ain't the worst thing that could happen to ya! I love those guys
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Post by Librarian on Apr 6, 2004 9:53:58 GMT -5
Spellbound is on DVD now. I rented it through Netflix. If any you haven't discovered Netflix I highly recommend it. I have a queue of over 100 films. As I finish one film, another is sent to me in the mail. Librarian is my profession, but not my current occupation. I work for Librarians (vendor). It's great working for librarians rather than "with".
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Margot
Anthony's Spanish Tutor
How sweet and tender he is when brushing the eyelash from Margot's cheek.
Posts: 243
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Post by Margot on Apr 7, 2004 8:40:39 GMT -5
The Lost Boys of Sudan sounds incredible! I'll have to troll for it at Blockbuster this weekend.
I, too, loved Spellbound and was surprised by how it kept me on the edge of my seat.
Comedian, Lost in La Mancha, Two Towns of Jasper, and The Other Final are also great documentaries.
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Post by Meribethm on Apr 7, 2004 8:44:46 GMT -5
Winged Migration (should have won Oscar but was totally cheated by Michael Moore!) and Dot.Com are The Kids Stays in the Picture is neat. It uses lots of still photos of old hollywood in a collage sort of effect while telling the story of Robt Evans. He narrates.
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Post by Librarian on Apr 7, 2004 9:01:02 GMT -5
Sounds like we all have similar tastes. I loved Kid Stays in the Picture, Winged Migration, and Lost in La Mancha (of cours -- Terry Gilliam and Johnny Depp!!!!!)
I'll have to check out the rest of your lists. Thanks!
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Margot
Anthony's Spanish Tutor
How sweet and tender he is when brushing the eyelash from Margot's cheek.
Posts: 243
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Post by Margot on Apr 7, 2004 9:34:41 GMT -5
Ooh! Keep the reports coming. I LOVE documentaries. To me, a funny documentary is much funnier than a fictional comedy. I thought of another great one, Standing in the Shadows of Motown. And one I haven't seen yet, but am dying to, is Buena Vista Social Club.
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