You had me, but then you lost me

I got tickets to the New York Film Festival, so last Saturday Robyn and I went to see the world premiere of The Axe in the Attic, a documentary about people affected by Hurricane Katrina. The film tells the stories of dozens of people trying to carry on with their lives after relocating to new cities after the hurricane. There are some terrible stories, but the film also shows some precious moments, particularly of a family staying in Pittsburgh, experiencing their first snowfall.

I applaud anyone who is trying to bring awareness to the situation in New Orleans. Many people in the audience admitted that they learned something new as a result of seeing the film.

However, the directors decided to turn the camera on themselves a fair amount during the film. For me, this was incredibly annoying and what they chose to include in the edit shifted the focus from the people who were suffering to the filmmakers. My opinion was validated after the film when the directors answered audience questions, and none of the questions were about New Orleans - they were about the filmmakers and the dynamics of their relationship (they quibbled a lot on screen).

Citing journalistic tradition/integrity, the filmmakers also chose to not give money to anyone they filmed, including a man who spent 5 hours walking to and from work every day because he couldn't afford bus fare. I found this to be distasteful. Even more infuriating is the fact that the movie's website explains how you can donate money to help the directors finish and distribute the film, but not how you can donate or volunteer to help the Katrina recovery.

Obviously I had some major issues with this documentary, but will take this blog post as another opportunity to remind everyone that New Orleans still has a long way to go in terms of recovery. And the city and its people still need help, even if the filmmakers aren’t offering it.