I’ve got to
be honest – I picked the screening on 8th March 2016 for my review
for two reasons, the larger of which was that the stories had a public health
theme, a topic that I am interested in and am familiar with; and the lesser reason was that the screening slot fitted my schedule. But after attending the
session, I learnt that the three documentaries had one additional similarity – that
they were made by three photographers from the internationally renowned VII
photo agency. An agency who represents several of the world’s pre-eminent photojournalists. In a sheer comparison of bang for buck, I must have gotten the most value
possible for my dollar.
Dying to Breathe starts with He Quan Gui, a middle
aged man who used to work as a gold miner, sitting in his backyard, narrating a
letter to the President of China. We learn that he is ill, having worked in the
coal mines for years without having taken work safety precautions and he has developed
pneumoconiosis as a result – at present an incurable disease that restricts its
sufferer’s breathing. He requires constant oxygenation to survive even as he wheels
himself around his house - all while being connected to a supply of oxygen from a
cylinder. His wife is his caregiver, taking care of his daily needs, giving him
massages, keeping his spirits cheery by singing with him or to him despite his
poor prognosis. In fact, she forbids him from dying and goes into a hysterical
state whenever he goes in respiratory distresses.
And can we
blame her? HQG is an example of a good husband, having worked in the mines for
long hours as the pay was better than any other thing he could do back in his
village. Dying to Breathe is one of
many documentaries that I have come across in the last few years, depicting the
difficulties people from developing countries such as China face, especially
with less than ideal work environment conditions due to lack of knowledge,
governmental non-intervention, poor legislation of occupational health laws etc.
Filmed over 4 years, I thought that this was one very ingenious documentary
that combined the use of different interview styles, mediums (whatever was
convenient), and was praise worthy in that the photographer could work on it over such a relatively
long period of time.
The Ninth Floor
was my personal least favourite. Maybe because to me, drug use is a social ill
that is really mostly a choice and I brought my personal bias with me when viewing
it. However, getting the addicts to talk and to film them – still deserves commendation. I
saw the birth of a baby bring hope to her parents, who were both heroin addicts,
giving them the motivation to get clean, and through their story, I saw some beauty
despite their dire circumstance. It was quite sad though, that because the mother was
using heroin while she was pregnant, her baby might have developed foetal
deformities, which thankfully was not apparent in the video.
Syria’s Lost
Generation stood out as being the most audacious of the lot. I imagine that it
must have been the hardest to film, but having had two other emotionally charged
pieces before it meant that I had little emotional bandwidth left to feel for
the characters. The female interviewee shared about how her education was
disrupted, and that her parents were not able to be placed in the same camp as
her. What will become of this generation
of people in Syria? I wonder. War is brutal, and I, who although have thankfully
never experienced it first hand, will probably get to see the aftermath of this
one in my lifetime.
Photo Credit: Ed Kashi/ VII Photo Agency
Reviewed by Gwen X
Reviewed by Gwen X