davenj
Joined Aug 1999
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davenj's rating
A decade in the making, this engrossing documentary takes a rather savage episode -- an American soldier named Eddie is kidnapped from a bar in Germany in 1985 and murdered -- and dives deep into the ramifications of the crime.
Mostly it focuses on Kathleen, the sister of the victim who was a teenage friend of filmmaker Desireena Almoradie at the time of the murder. But as Kathleen gets older and attempts to process her own grief, she learns about restorative justice, and sets out to engage with the leftist Red Army Faction members who murdered her brother. As the story unfolds, everyone receives their full dose of human empathy, and it becomes clear just what a complex and difficult thing it is to engage with people who have committed an irreversible act of violence.
Kathleen's quest is both understandable and mysterious, and the resulting film is deeply thought-provoking and moving. Highly recommended!
Mostly it focuses on Kathleen, the sister of the victim who was a teenage friend of filmmaker Desireena Almoradie at the time of the murder. But as Kathleen gets older and attempts to process her own grief, she learns about restorative justice, and sets out to engage with the leftist Red Army Faction members who murdered her brother. As the story unfolds, everyone receives their full dose of human empathy, and it becomes clear just what a complex and difficult thing it is to engage with people who have committed an irreversible act of violence.
Kathleen's quest is both understandable and mysterious, and the resulting film is deeply thought-provoking and moving. Highly recommended!
Really one of the most beautiful low-budget films I've ever seen.
The lead actor is very compelling, and the idea of observing American life through an authority figure who is also an immigrant is really striking. And occasionally very funny.
The film as a whole has elements of David Lynch, as well as Linklater's "Slacker." But the sensibility is really not well described through reference to other films. It's really a one-of-a-kind piece of work.
The news in the final credits that all the incidents portrayed in the film were taken from actual police files was strangely disappointing, but when I later learned that the co-writer was the author of a "Police Beat" column in the Seattle alternative weekly, it made total sense.
Honestly, some of the images here are just absolutely singular. You've never seen anything quite like it.
Congratulations to all involved.
The lead actor is very compelling, and the idea of observing American life through an authority figure who is also an immigrant is really striking. And occasionally very funny.
The film as a whole has elements of David Lynch, as well as Linklater's "Slacker." But the sensibility is really not well described through reference to other films. It's really a one-of-a-kind piece of work.
The news in the final credits that all the incidents portrayed in the film were taken from actual police files was strangely disappointing, but when I later learned that the co-writer was the author of a "Police Beat" column in the Seattle alternative weekly, it made total sense.
Honestly, some of the images here are just absolutely singular. You've never seen anything quite like it.
Congratulations to all involved.
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