(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In this month's online criticism, we will take a closer look at what more well-established media such as Danish Politiken and English The Guardian can offer when it comes to shorter documentary formats online. Of course, movie platforms such as YouTube are not only a place for entrepreneurial individuals or large commercial interests, but also journalistic-based newspaper and media houses have started a gentle stream of audiovisual material. Often the films are further developments of journalistic stories, which can also be found in the newspaper, but there may also be material that is uniquely produced for the web platform, which the Politiken theme documentary is an example of.
Here the Rain Never Finishes. Much has changed in the world since September 11, 2001. This is no surprise to anyone, but perhaps more surprising is how the reverberations keep appearing. One of the results of the attack on the World Trade Center was that President George W. Bush relatively quickly called for a renewal of the interrogation program – or torture program, if one will – available at the time. Psychologists Bruce Jessen and James Mitchel, among others, were called in, who, with virtually free hands and endless resources, were asked to develop an interrogation program that could match the new world order and, not least, US interests in it. It is one of the consequences of the program provided by the fine web documentary Here the Rain Never Finishes treats.
We open with the images of a pair of male hands sliding calmly into some water. A man talks about the joy of fishing. But soon an abominable story unfolds about physical and mental mutilation, which the Tanzanian fisherman Suleiman Abdullah was subjected to by the CIA. In 2003, Suleiman was captured by a Somali warlord who handed him over to the CIA. Until 2008 – that is, for a full five years – Suleiman was in American custody, and at no time was an official indictment filed against him. Over the years, he was subjected to a host of newly developed interrogation and torture techniques to get him to admit that he was involved in terrorist activities. Here they took advantage of the notion of «learned helplessness», where by breaking down an individual one can establish a abandonment and helplessness in this individual, who will subsequently accept anything and is not motivated to act independently in any way.
The documentary effectively uses animation to reconstruct the cruel scenes of torture, while we cut to Suleiman's own account as well as an elaboration from the lawyer who is leading a trial, where innocent torture victims are now suing, among others, the psychologists behind the development of methods.
Here the Rain Never Finishes, Noah Yachot & Molly Kaplan (American Civil Liberties Union), 8 minutes.
Cities Under Water. The journalistically based web documentary is gradually establishing itself as a genre, although it still bears the positive characteristics of the bastard: that it has not yet really fallen into place, and is therefore often more experimental and exploratory in its form. But such as a journalistic web documentary most often takes out – and this also applies Cities Under Water from Danish Politiken – it is typically divided into several different chapters and appears side by side with text, fact boxes, graphics and other more or less interactive elements on a website.
In the case of Cities Under Water, we have an introductory film that briefly outlines the problem: that African cities in recent years have been affected by both climate change that causes floods, and that these changes occur at the same time as cities are experiencing population growth that is explosive.
In text, graphics and small films, the theme is then explored with three different locations as a starting point. One of the setbacks takes place in Tanzania's capital, Dar Es Salaam, which is expected to grow from 40 million to 4 million over the next 21 years. At the same time, this huge population growth means that many newcomers will settle in low-lying areas without drains and sewers, making the threats of floods all the more serious. It's an extremely bleak future that is in sight, but the web documentary team is also trying to explore the various initiatives that exist in the area after all. An example is Salim Mtepetallah, who is one of the many volunteers who have joined forces in a project that intends to map the many, newly emerged slum areas. By using gps, a ballpoint pen and a drone every now and then, the group can succeed in gaining a significantly better knowledge of the slum's interior design and especially of how water in the event of floods will group itself. This basic knowledge is absolutely essential if one is to make hopes of making a just reasonably effective effort in the area.
Cities Under Water, Sune Gudmundsson, Sven Johannessen and Lasse Wamsler. The movies are between 1 and 3 minutes.
The heritage. A man turns on a camera and escapes. He's talking to someone named Philip. He gives him good advice. About life and love. How Philip should always be curious about other people. How Philip should share the joys and sorrows with others. How to talk to girls. How to tackle grandma when she's angry.
We are not quite sure who the man speaking is. We may not be quite sure who Philip is either. And why are they not together? It is clearly a father speaking to his son, but is the family affected by divorce, which may explain why father and son are not seen together?
A good distance inside the film is cut to the danger on the sickbed. He is emaciated, thin, tired. The father is dying. The many counsels are thus meant for the son, Philip, when he is old enough to understand them, but no longer has a father who can give good advice.
His father, Christian Flatlie, died when Philip was a year old. The film here gives a glimpse of the legacy Philip can look forward to. In addition to the film, there are around 10 hours of interviews, which hopefully can give Philip an impression of his father and establish a memory. It is a deeply moving little film that Charlotte Thiis-Evensen has shaped. It works on its refined mix of the father's footage for the son coupled with a series of childishly-naive animations, respectively, and more lyrical, light line drawings hovering across the screen, all the while a polyphony of boy voices tells what a father is for something. The legacy is what is left.
The legacy, Charlotte Thiis-Evensen, 20 minutes, can be seen the evening post. Was also shown on NRK1 8 November.
Moestrup is a critic in Ny Tid.
moestrup@gmail.com.
