“The Last Forest” (A Última Floresta): The Next Step Genocide? Toronto Hot Docs

The Yanomami indigenous people live in Northern Brazil and in Southern Venezuela. They have been there for at least 1,000 years which is 500 years longer that the nation states of Brazil and Venezuela.

The greed of gold, oil natural resources and hydro electric projects threatens the indigenous way of life. The processing of gold creates mercury waste which is dumped into rivers or sloppily contained by the gigantic corpotate gold mines in Peru or by the small timers in Brazil and Venezuela.

The Yanomami people were threatened by a horde of 45,000 prospectors in 1986 leading to the death of 1,500-1,800 indigenous people. Again in 1993 another wave of prospectors swept into Brazil including a massacre of 16 villagers despite the fact that Brazil recognized the land rights of the Yanomami in 1992. The backlash lead by Brazilian journalists and international advocates resulted in peace for 25 years. That is until the leader of the Brazilian government of Bolsanaro in 2109 supporting “development” allowed another influx of 20,000 prospectors to ravage forests, contaminate rivers with mercury and is attempting to legitimization of the prospector invasion. The Trump of Brazil leaving a legacy of the extinction of the Yanomami people and the Amazonia rainforest.

And the next step for the Yanomami people is death through environmental poisoning or a “dreaded resettlement”. Yes, I saw a documentary about the resettlement of indigenous peoples to make way for a gigantic Brazilian hydro-electric project. Indigenous people transferred to dangerous, drug infested, gang controlled camps so bad evangelists like buzzards flock to save souls or to convert heathens. See any similarities to the treatment of indigenous populations in North America!

Moving back from destiny we are treated in the documentary to an intimate look at the Yanomami people that might as well be a carbon copy of countless indigenous communities in North America. Steal and pillage and then move them to “reservations” or better said internment camps. History repeats itself so before you say how terrible Brazilians are they are not much different than our ancestors.

Aside from the inevitability of the destruction of the Yanomami perhaps the tenderness of the film is the view we have into the daily existence of these people and their hostility, at least amongst the elders and the shamans, toward the greedy “non-natives” who only dream of money and greed.

We are also treated to the Yanomami view of the creation of their people which is re-enacted in part and at times it is difficult to distinguish the tale from reality but it could be the story of creation is so inborn in their daily existence that reality and myth are difficult to distinguish.

We must mention the role of Davi, a Yanomami shaman, who has spearheaded resistance to “non- native” exploitation and as Maxima is symbol of local resistance to goldmines in Peru so is Davi for the Yanomami peoples.

In a beautiful sequence the shamans of a Yanomami village get completely “enlightened” through inhalation and snorting of some jungle herb in an attempt to fend off the demons.

Can they ward off the evil demons? Most likely not. Quite similar to the destruction of many indigenous communities in Canada through diseases and greed of the colonialists.

At best then a glimpse of a past that will be wiped out by the greed of the “non-natives”. Shameful as it may be we a looking at a documentary that will be playing in some museum in 20 years like some National Geographic Special.

The 2021 Brazilian documentary is directed by Brazilian Luiz Bolognesi and will be available virtually until May 9th as part of the Toronto Hot Docs Festival.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.hotdocs.ca/

The documentary can only be accessed in Canada.

Unfortunately, history repeats itself.

You can see the trailer here https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-norton-ext_onb&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-ext_onb&hspart=norton&param1=b3eb0a94-1c71-4ea2-85e8-a9f995ce7608_2020-05-26_cr&param2=ds_direct_may20&param3=ngc_22.20.2.57_wk22_2020&param4=1000&source=direct&p=the+last+forest+documenraty&type=cr_ds_may20_wk22_2020#id=1&vid=a2fcfd84929ad2dcaca8783ef4be270c&action=click

Florida puts brakes on COVID intrusions: Is there a time and place for ending government by emergency order?

Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Landmark Legislation to Ban Vaccine Passports and Stem Government Overreach

On May 3, 2021, in News Releases, by Staff

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by local legislators and small business owners in St. Petersburg where he signed Senate Bill (SB) 2006, landmark legislation aimed at stemming the tide of local and state government overreach.

The bill takes aim at arbitrary lockdowns, vaccine passports and enhances emergency preparedness for future emergencies. Governor DeSantis also signed Executive Orders 21-101 and 21-102 suspending all local emergency orders until July 1, 2021, at which point local orders will be permanently invalidated pursuant to SB 2006.

“Over the last year we’ve avoided protracted lockdowns and school closures in Florida because I have refused to take the same approach as other lockdown Governors. This legislation ensures that legal safeguards are in place so that local governments cannot arbitrarily close our schools or businesses,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision. I’d like to thank President Simpson, Speaker Sprowls and the Florida Legislature for getting this legislation got across the finish line.”

“While many states around the country are just now beginning to re-open, under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida has been responsibly opening back up over the last year. Our economy is bouncing back stronger than anyone could have imagined as more and more people flee high tax, high regulation states and chose the freedom we have here in Florida,” said Senate President Wilton Simpson. “This legislation codifies the actions our Governor took to over the last year to respond to the pandemic, from our state stockpile to a dedicated emergency fund. It also protects us from the government overreach we have seen in other states.”

“We have made it a mission in Florida to be ready for whatever disaster comes our way. Nobody could have predicted we would face a global pandemic such as this, but this session we looked at every aspect of the pandemic to determine how we can best be prepared for the threat of tomorrow. This bill balances protecting public health and guarding our economy from government overreach,” said Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls. “I applaud Governor DeSantis for doing what was necessary, despite the cries of critics and naysayers, to ensure Florida remained healthy and strong.”

“If there is one thing that this pandemic has taught us, it is that Florida continues to be the example of how to govern during these unprecedented times. Leaders like Governor Ron DeSantis, President Wilton Simpson, and Speaker Chris Sprowls are the reason that vaccines are widely available, our business are back open, and we continue to head down the path of normalcy again. The passing and signing of SB 2006 codifies many of the lessons learned from the ongoing pandemic. I couldn’t have gotten this bill across the finish line without my colleague Rep. Tom Leek in the House. There is still work that needs to be done and I look forward to marching towards a better, safer future,” said Senator Danny Burgess.

“This legislation strikes the appropriate balance between protecting one’s safety and one’s personal liberty,” said Representative Tom Leek.

SB 2006 will ensure that neither the state nor local governments can close businesses or keep students out of in-person instruction at Florida schools, except for hurricane emergencies, and caps all local emergency at seven-day increments.

The legislation also allows the Governor of Florida to invalidate a local emergency order if it unnecessarily restricts individual rights or liberties. The bill also improves Florida’s emergency planning for future public health emergencies, by adding personal protective equipment and other public health supplies to the inventory of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Additionally, the legislation codifies the prohibition of COVID-19 vaccine passports. Governor DeSantis enacted this prohibition through an executive order last month, blocking any business or government entity from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

“Any Given Day”: Insider’s perspective on mental illness; Toronto Hot Docs

Director, writer and producer Margaret Byrne takes us down a road that is a long journey where it seems impossible to ever reach a happy destination. The road we travel upon is mental illness in Chicago where Chicago’s Cook County offered a specialized probation for mental illness diagnosed detainees. A special court geared to provide treatment with a goal to integrating “criminal offenders with mental illness” back into the community.

Byrne follows three participants in the Mental Health Court. And their road to integration never seems to be reached. There is hope, optimism then relapses. Byrne herself is a participant in the mental health system suffering from major depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies. She has been institutionalized on several occasions. Even during the filming of the documentary she admitted herself to a psychiatric institution for treatment. Her perspective is that of an insider and her own personal insights are the big takeaways of the documentary. Her view is that mental illness is cyclical and taking the wrong medications and not taking care of yourself or giving in to what you are fighting can put you back to square one. Mental illness just keeps happening with the solution seemingly impossible to attain. You need someone to be accountable to. In the case of Byrne it is her sister Jenny and her daughter that keep her from spinning out of control as she realized she had to get it together or risk losing custody of her daughter.

The three people she focuses on in their lucid and well moments are often charming and likeable but then on a regular basis there is a crash perhaps often due to substance abuse that puts them back in the hole. As Byrne notes you can appear ordinary but when “that time” comes it is not pretty and you want to look away from it but we shouldn’t look away from what is bad as we often do hence the mentally ill are left on the streets ignored and rejected. Byrne was inspired by the continual battles her subjects were trying to manage and that inspired her to go back into therapy. So while the film is ostensibly about 3 subjects with mental illness is it really is about 4 people with Bryne being number 4 and offering penetrating and simple insights perhaps that are needed by viewers to anchor this documentary from being just a series of interesting observations to being an honest and excruciating painful if not haunting view of mental illness. A must view for all wishing to understand the mental health system and the seemingly insurmountable.

I will let you viewers hear the stories the documentary presents but I am unsure of the conclusion you will draw. On my part it is that mental illness is a demon that can strike a person for many reasons that could be sexual abuse as a child, substance abuse or horrific life events. But there is no magic answer for a complete inventory of what causes mental illness and more disturbingly there is no answer. You can be well educated and having things go your way and then pow.

As a closing comment I wrote an article on therapeutic yoga for seniors that caught on like wildfire in Canada and I ended up giving an address to family practitioners in Canada at their convention. They seemed to appreciate my off-beat address and one psychiatrist approached me afterwards and we started chatting and a comment she said stuck in my mind and that was depression was a lifelong condition and the best one could hope for was remission. After “Any Given Day” I am beginning to think she was right.

This is Toronto Hot Docs film and you can access as of April 29th-May 9th if you are located in Canada. You can purchase tickets at the Hot Docs website https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

“The Doll”: Iran’s Progressive Morals on Display: Toronto Hot Docs

In today’s “progressive” Iran a 35-year-old father Alireza who considers himself a “enlightened traditionalist” considers marrying off his 14-year-old grade 9 daughter Asal to Soroush a medical student in university.

If it wasn’t so sad and disgraceful it might be a comedy. As we hear from various relatives about the pros and cons of the proposed marriage some say a disaster, some say Alireza can offload her so he can marry his fiancée and some say it is a good idea. Kind of like a gossip fest.

Asal tells us that some of her classmates are already married. And Soroush, her suitor, is so nice as he bought her some Nutella and Gummy Bears as a present. Alireza thinks she can handle the marriage as she is just like him. He also wants to see them engaged so their relationship is “pure”. He also says Asal is gullible and she must do what her husband says. “Enlightened”?

Before we slam Iranians as a whole for being stuck in the 7th century we should take a close look of the imagery writer, director and producer Elahe Esmali weaves into the film. Lots of home videos of Asal as a very young girl, her rollerblading like any other child and her love of dolls and stuffed animals. Esmali is discretely telling us Asal is still a child and guiding the audience that perhaps child marriage is something that should be questioned.

Her views are more direct than her film and almost all of Western society would agree with them. The film was not censored despite the attempts of extremists in Iran to increase marriages even through marriage to underaged girls.

Esmali says, “I wish it was otherwise. Living in a patriarchal society for years has shaped my outlook as a filmmaker; inequalities due to being female, being a second-class citizen as well as the tough feeling of being a property of a man. These are the important issues that I’m going to criticize through my films to build a better future for the generations to come.”

The documentary will be available in Canada only until May 9th and is with English subtitles. You can purchase tickets here https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival Bravo to Esmali

“Archipelago”: A Dreamy and Poetic Journey: Toronto Hot Docs

Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s “Archipelago” is an animated dreamy poetic journey in which 12 different animators show their style of animation.

The narration is at times poetic and very fluid. This in contrast to an old newsreel narrated in a 1950’s style. I think the newsreel was called “Les ÎIes de St. Laurent” taking a voyage from Montreal to the Atlantic Ocean on the St. Lawrence River.

There is no easily described storyline that certain viewers of this documentary might find difficult to deal with. However one advantage it does have is the possibilities it opens up for the viewer to make a decision what the story is. When we watch a documentary we are used to having a clear-cut story or topic however in this documentary the viewer is free to give a interpretation of what the documentary is about and it could be there is no definable story but rather an excuse for very poetic narration and creative animation.

Perhaps a statement from Dufour-Laperrière might influence your interpretation of this documentary, “To finally try to stage an imaginary journey, like a notebook of interior wanderings, in the real and invented Quebec of yesterday and today, a past and a present that dialogue with those of the continent. I say it’s a very intimate film because, from the start, I put in it a lot of things that I love, from Hubert Aquin to my grandmother, through the stark, sumptuous landscapes of the Charlevoix region, for example. But what began as an intimate space quickly expanded and also became a look at a shared territory.”

At one point the narration leads one to believe it is the St. Lawrence River that is telling the story. At other times could it be God is telling the story or is it history or perhaps a combination of all these interpretations? That might be part of the fun.

Part of the story is the St. Lawrence River and the towns and islands on it as it traverses to the Atlantic Ocean. The newsreel footage presents a Quebec of yesteryear. There are a few political comments that pop up in a discrete but unmistakeable fashion such as Montreal is the second largest French city in the world yet English is spoken there.

This 72-minute film from 2021 is from Quebec and is in French with English subtitles. It is having its North American premiere at Toronto Hot Docs and is available throughout Canada only. It will be opening in Quebec theatres in the fall of 2021. You can purchase tickets here https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/493531565

The film is available up to May 9th.

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 55 “Bertie Foonbean and Squid Converse”

The ice began to melt after a couple of Moleson Export beers. They ate a sumptuous meal of lamb that the Greek Gods had provided and some wine sent from Bacchus. After their meal and the dishes had been cleaned they retired to the study for brandy and cigars.

Bertie initiated the conversation after lighting his Brazilian cigar, “Squid I must express my gratitude for you sheltering me and giving me such an honourable position. I can’t blame my parents and the other Greek Gods. They are perfection and an imperfection such as myself can not be expected to fit in their framework and……..”

Squid interjected, “Damn it Bertie. You have to stop thinking of yourself as an imperfection. You are a mutant and should be proud of that. Mutantism gives special attributes to mutants. Simply because they are gods does not excuse their errant thinking. You have immortality and other godlike characteristics that will certainly compensate for any deficiencies your mutantism may throw across your path. There are millions in worse shape than you and we have to work like Canadian beavers to right that. Just because you are different you should not be subject to harassment and discrimination. Please excuse the interruption Bertie. Continue.”

“Thank you. As I was saying I can’t condone their action but I understand it and I bear them no ill will. You and I just must accept it as we have more important things to do than fret about the past. You know they are an old-fashioned group of gods, an enigma in today’s world as they told me Uncle Willie Montenez used to say. I wonder if time has passed them by. If I had remained in the Zlano dimension with the Greek Gods I’d be hidden in the closet if you know what I mean. At least here on Earth I shall be up front and visible to all. If I can help less fortunate mutants so much the better. Sure, I can fly but what about those stuck in wheelchairs with reduced mobility or the marginals of Nicaragua? I hold my head proudly and endeavour to work so that all mutants can do the same and live without fear of eradication or discrimination. I offer you all my skills, energy and loyalty for the struggle ahead of us.”

“Thank you Bertie for your encouraging words. Let us hope we can instill comfort and hope amongst mutants. I have a dream. It will be a long and vicious battle but at this point the only way to go is forward. You must be exhausted so let us have another brandy and retire for the night.”

The Montreal establishment was deploring Squid and the mischief he was stirring up especially with inmates in psychiatric institutions and handicapped community homes. Sure….the local Chamber of Capitalists and the Cheetah Club had token mutants in their membership but they were nothing but shining examples of tokenism. Were these businessmen really helping the disadvantaged and handicapped? They in fact were stifling those whom they claimed to have an objective of advancing in society. There was no way they would permit a mutant to any degree of real power within their organizations.

Mutants no doubt had been inspired by Squid and were agitating for more power within organizations they were members of. The power structure was not going to permit this small advance of mutantism even in the charities chaired by the old boy’s club. The nerve of these mutants they thought. How ungrateful of our generosity of letting a few in our organization these old boys said amongst each other. These weakling mutants were now forcefully speaking out on some of the crucial issues that affected them. By gosh they were talking about their “exploitation”! Had they turned to communism? What did they want? A revolution? They were probing areas that best not be disturbed. The public was in state of near panic. What was wrong with basket weaving? Squid was public enemy number one amongst the “normals”.

“Kimmapiiyipitssini”: The Scourge of Fentanyl and Opioids in the Kainai Blackfoot Community in Southern Alberta: Toronto Hot Docs

“Kimmapiiypitssini” in Blackfoot in short means empathy and involves giving kindness to each other and feeling for others and you are blessed if you show it. Perhaps for me it is a vital component of mindful living.

Aa one police officer on the Blackfoot Reserve in Southern Alberta muses what would our people be like without colonization.

Yes many of us know about how the “Indians” of yesteryear succumbed to firewater but now, as with much of North America the latest scourge is fentanyl and opioids that are ravaging this Blackfoot reservation. No family is unaffected and not being in an urban centre treatment options are limited.

The documentary paints a dire picture of the drug plague in the Kainai First Nation in Southern Alberta. The documentary presents an exhaustive analysis of the rampant drug abuse problem facing the community.

The community is fighting back doing the best that it can and you’ll hear from physicians, nurses, EMS personnel, addicts, addiction counsellors, pharmacists and the many involved in what I see as an anti-addiction industry.

Thousands of lives lost mostly young adults in the 20–40-year-old range. It is so bad many babies are born addicted and need rehab through morphine so that they do not die from withdrawal. It is so bad that in 48 hours at one point there were 22 overdoses in the reserve.

Fentanyl raised its ugly head in 2014 on the reserve and the documentary certainly transmits the feeling of grief and loss amongst all the families.

The solution involves pouring resources, time and effort like battling a forest fire that is out of control. But the community is not giving up despite a battle between those of the older generation where alcohol was the killer and abstinence was the cure but these are new types of poison where perhaps “harm reduction” is a newer and more appropriate solution such as safe injection and drug taking sites.

Perhaps Lethbridge offers better resources but the indigenous population is not welcome there by white residents and prompting white resident Bradley Grey to beat to death a Blackfoot Indian and seriously injure another. The community of the Blackfoot responded by starting the Sage Clan street patrol a few nights a week to check for Blackfoot’s in danger. Sadly Sly Daniels a member of the Sage Clan a former addict later succumbs to an overdose.

Then there are Leah and George who you might classify as lost cases their faces ravaged by years of alcohol and drug abuse that come across as perpetual losers in their struggle to reach sobriety. George has been a victim of residential school abuse that has ravaged his soul.

The documentary presents a comprehensive view of how things are which we should be grateful to producer and writer Elle-Maija Tailfeather for but the question of why this happened might have been further explained. One professional in the battle may have summed it up by saying the drug abuse problem can be traced back to residential schools, inter-generational disconnect, lack of education, lack of  proper education, lack of proper parenting, lack of job training, lack of hope and no training on life skills. And perhaps a lack of Kimmapiiyipitssini by the Alberta government that cut funding to addiction resources in Lethbridge Alberta that now gives Lethbridge the highest rates of death due to drug poisoning in Canada.

Yet in our Canadian media we hear more about “Black Lives Matter”, an American concept, than we do about “Indigenous Lives Matter”. This is Canada not the United States. For me it is about “All Lives Matter”.

This world premiere documentary is part of Toronto Hot Docs and is just over two hours in length. It is available in Canada only from April 29 to May 9. Tickets can be purchased at https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

See the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmbaZdnpZkU&t=3s

“Mutantism on the March”: Chapter 54 “The Greek Gods Catch up with Squid”

After Squid’s brief address to the McSwill University students a strangely attired man wearing some ancient Greek garb walked up to Squid stating he had urgent business to discuss with him. Passing the awestruck audience Squid and the man headed up to his cave deep in Mount Royal. The man spoke, “I am from the Zlano dimension and am a messenger for the Greek Gods. The Gods have been observing you with interest for some time concerning your struggles for Mutantism as you call it. The Gods represent perfection and they have an embarrassing situation that is imperfection hence what you call a mutant. Do not think the Gods are cruel and trying to dispose of this mutant in their midst as after all this Bertie Foonbean is the child of Aphrodite and Zeus. We simply can’t have the Gods deal with imperfection in an atmosphere that demands perfection. If it was known a mutant lived amongst the Gods that would pose a great reputational risk to them. The Gods receive many visitors in Zlano and word could spread far and wide about Bertie Foonbean which might damage his ego. We wish to avoid this situation and ask if you who are so well qualified in dealing with mutants can help the Gods escape their quandary. The Gods offer you 2,000 kilos of gold annually (On an indexed to inflation basis) to mind and mentor Foonbean who has the face of an old wrinkled man and he is missing a leg. Will you help us?”

Squid replied, “I deplore your attitude messenger and have a low opinion of your bosses who labour under an impression they are perfect. I have yet to see a perfect living being. The Gods seem more concerned with their shallow image of perfection than in the care and development of the lad but they don’t have the courage to admit it. You may be fooling yourselves but not me. Go ahead and send Foonbean to me and I’ll take care of him. With his lineage I believe he is destined for something special. He is better here with me instead of an atmosphere of aloofness and shame.”

The messenger was delighted knowing he would be well rewarded for sloughing off Foonbean. “Thank you, sir. You have done a great service and consider the Greek Gods your allies and friends. Mentally the lad is strong so it is unfortunate he has these mutant characteristics. You might wish to think of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I shall return in several days with Bertie Foonbean and the gold.”

With these words the messenger disappeared but was back in three days with Bertie Foonbean and the gold. Bertie was perceptive and intelligent. He had the usual godlike characteristics of immortality and the ability to fly. The messenger had forgot to tell Squid Foonbean was missing an eye as well which was covered with a black patch embroidered with 24 carat gold. His head was both enormous and bald not to mention facial wrinkles that made him look like an old man. Despite these qualities both Earthlings and the Greek Gods would be considered as negatives Foonbean was upbeat and proud. Squid realized the potential in the lad and appointed him as his personal secretary as the paperwork was beginning to build up. Bertie was both enthusiastic glad to be of help. The Gods had, in the brief time he was in their custody, schooled him well on the history of Earthlings. All that would be needed was to brief him on the history of mutantism and its goals.

“Ostrov – Lost Island”: Misery and the New Tsardom: Toronto Hot Docs

The Russians have perfected the art over the last hundred years of criticizing authoritarian power through allegory in literature and poetry. Sometimes they get away with it but sometimes with novels from Solzhenitsyn like “Cancer Ward” or “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” it goes too far for the authorities to tolerate.

Ivan, the Caspian Sea fisherman

In this documentary directed by Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop in my mind, suspicious of authoritarianism as it may be, what jumps out is the Tsar like attributes of Vladimir Putin. News clips from television programmes show a confident leader promising stability and a solid economy coupled with strong defence forces like an imperial force saving the Russian minority in the Ukraine. And the characters in the documentary eagerly lap it up perhaps compensating for their poverty. And like a father they write him letters asking for more rights to fish in the Caspian Sea, medical facilities, fishing permits and electricity. I just get that feeling it is like old Tsarist Russia where a dispensation from the Tsar was one way of getting what you wanted. Of course, it is old news in the Western press that Putin is seen as a new Tsar. It is slightly implied in this film.

Aside from political implications the “main story” is about Ivan a fifty-year-old fisherman and his family who are living on Ostrov Island in the Caspian Sea the source of caviar from sturgeon. But with the fall of the USSR the fishery collective collapsed and permits for fisherman seemed to disappear so to survive Ivan and many of his fellow Ostrovians must poach hoping not to be caught by the coast guard or police. A precarious and stressful existence. Commandos roam the island looking for “evidence” of poaching. Some powerful interests are being protected!

Ivan is a proud Russian and fails to question how much state property and privileges ended up in oligarch’s hands. So he has his daughter write letters to Putin lamenting the loss of a military training base, schools and medical care. Well the man delivers with a fish warehouse being opened, medical staff sent, electricity made available and fishing permits granted. Ivan remarks Putin has given us powerful weapons and we are indestructible now. It is clear that May 9th Victory Day where Russians celebrate victory of the Second World War emphasizes the huge sacrifices and death the Russians suffered at the hands of the Germans that national security will be a concern for decades to come.

An interesting documentary about the effects of the collapse of the USSR and the ingrained thought by many simple Russians pattern supporting imperial leadership in Russia.

The film is playing as part of Toronto Hot Docs from April 29th to May 9th. You can purchase tickets here https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

Only available for viewing in Canada.

“About Endlessness”: Dare I Interpret?

This is a film that the director likes to taunt you into trying to interpret what it means. Yes a Swedish-Norwegian-German production puzzling you and challenging some sort of interpretation. No this is not “The Joker” or “Black Panther”. Instead you may be asking:” What the hell is going on here?” And that can be frustrating for the spoon-fed but perhaps a bit more in the realm of the artsy film buff.

In terms of artsy let’s start off by noting the starkness of the cinematography and the lack of warm human contact throughout the film.

I am not going to look at previous reviews of the film so as to corrupt my interpretation which basically is that the film attempts to capture the “human condition”.

This human condition is brought to life by a narrator that witnesses certain events of a variety of people. And what exactly is that human condition? Well ultimately that is up to you and if you like complex puzzles this film is for you.

My take is that the film is a study in guilt, failure, shame, cruelty, lack of love, loss of faith, death, tragedy, disappointment, fear of death, lack of compassion, jealously, treachery of politics, Muslim honor killing, betrayal, thwarting of ambition, distrust of the financial system and inconvenience.

Although we are born and die the themes of life continue beyond our death. Therefore life is endless.

This 2020 film begins its theatre run in Canada on April 30th. How and where you can access might be best determined through the film’s distributor’s website  http://www.filmswelike.com/virtual-cinema

You can see the tailer here https://vimeo.com/514020631