Paradise: L'enfer des flammes

#AMovieADay 139

REBUILDING PARADISE

More than a in-depths documentary this feels rather like a tribute to the poor community of Paradise in California, devastated by the Camp Fire in 2018 in which 85 people lost their lives and more than 18000 homes destroyed (not to mention the hundreds or thousands of acres of forests burnt to the ground). Ron Howard turns to documentary (not for the first time: only in the last few years he did one on the Beatles and Pavarotti) but like often in his movies, he manages to produce a handsome, properly crafted piece of work and yet a rather unmemorable one too (yes there are exceptions: Frost/Nixon is great, Rush was good, I have a soft spot for Cocoon and Apollo 13... but the Dan Brown film are really terrible). The beginning is probably the best thing in the film. Dash-cam and mobile footage shot by residents trying to escape the fire is edited together to create a real sense of what must have been like to feel trapped in the blaze with smoke so dark to turn day into night. It's claustrophobic and terrifying. Beyond that, Howard chooses to stick with the victims throughout the whole documentary, preferring to show their grief and their determination to rebuild rather than exploring any of the real issues at stake here, even when big subjects come up (like global warming or the reasons beyond the fast spread of the fire). It's a very narrow-vision point of view of such a massive scale disaster that it feels a bit like a wasted opportunity. Emotions runs high (though some are heavy handed and superfluous to the main story), and you may even shed a few tears (that's not hard to do when dealing with such a disaster) but beyond that I found it a bit frustrating and slightly superficial.

The inferno inside that fire is awe inspiring to see, and the devastation is brutal. The aftermath is full of things that you'd only come to understand once a catastrophe like this unfolds. Also showing the side of humans helping a community to rebuild their lives makes for a good story in this documentary.

Greetings again from the darkness. It's November 8, 2018 and the film opens with the daily weather report. For the residents of Paradise, California, this will forever be their worst nightmare: 'Camp Fire', the deadliest and most destructive fire in the state's history. The first 9 minutes of film shows harrowing footage captured by dash cam, helmet cam, smart phones, news footage, and drones. As it begins, one resident says, "Honey, there's stuff falling out of the sky." Soon after, we hear a firefighter state "we are 100% surrounded by fire", and as we ride in the car with a frantic family trying to escape, we hear their relief in the "clear skies" they finally glimpse.

This is a National Geographic production and it's directed by 2-time Oscar winner Ron Howard. Mr. Howard is best known for his popular films like CINDERELLA MAN (2005), APOLLO 13 (1995), and yes, BACKDRAFT (1991). In the past few years, he's directed documentaries on Luciano Pavarotti and The Beatles, but as best I can tell, REBUILDING PARADISE is his first step into Cinema Verite - letting the moments of reality unfold while capturing it with mostly handheld cameras.

By 11:38 am, the only light in the skies of Paradise is coming from the glow of the massive and intense fire. The aftermath can only be described as total destruction. Paradise is in ashes. We see the desperate attempt by first responders to ensure that all citizens are evacuated, and then we witness the search for bodies. Camp Fire killed 85 people and displaced 50,000 people, including all of Paradise (80 miles north of Sacramento). The challenges included finding shelter for residents, keeping folks out of town while the fire smolders, and figuring out what the next steps might be.

Director Howard structures the film with visits every 3 months, and to make it personal, a handful of folks are selected. These include Woody Culleton, a man who rose from self-professed town drunk to town mayor (now ex-Mayor), Police Officer Matt Gates, School Superintendent Michelle John, and School Psychologist Carly Ingersoll. Each of these people have their own personal struggles due to the fire, but they are also focused on assisting others, and helping the town of Paradise plan for the future.

It's a full month before residents are allowed back to salvage anything possible from the ashes. At three months, activist Erin Brockovich gives a speech about the possible liability of PG&E and their equipment from 1921, while a logjam of dump trucks is used to clear debris from town. At six months, the high school seniors are given a graduation ceremony they will never forget, and at 9 months, healing and rebuilding is underway. We gain some insight into the struggles with FEMA and city government, and yet mostly what we witness is a community dedicated to remaining a community.

Mr. Howard chooses to end the movie with clips and warnings about global climate change, which may fit in a larger discussion, but here, the most effective segments are moments with folks simply trying to put their lives back together. That's more powerful than anything else we can witness.

It's so sad how Paradise burned in the fire, and this footage captures not only the despair that goes with it but some breathtaking footage of those escaping the fire. It really shows how fast things can spiral out of control. It could have done a better job with talking about how these fires start and how to prevent them, but it was a well done human interest piece about rebuilding.

When I say that a film is depressing, I am NOT necessarily saying you shouldn't watch it or that it's a bad film. This Ron Howard documentary is well made and interesting but it also cannot help but leave you feeling down when it has ended. I also mention it because I strongly encourage people dealing with depression NOT to watch it, as it might leave you more down as a result of watching.

The story is about a town oddly named 'Paradise' in Central California, just north of Chico and about 90 minutes north of Sacramento. Due to neglect by Pacific Gas & Electric, an electrical fire burned nearly all of the town to the ground. The film is about the first year after the fire and how the folks are coping with the disaster and upheaval.

Despite being made by a Hollywood insider, Howard, it has the look of a movie shot with the simplest of cameras...better than iPhones but sort of a cheap videocamera look. This is not a complaint...more an observation. It consists of photos, stock video and lots of interviews with the locals. Best of all, it has no narration...something it share with many better documentaries. Overall, it's very well made and interesting...especially for folks like me who live relatively close to Paradise and have seen PG&E's reaction to lawsuits concerning the fire.