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The Public Image is Rotten (2018)

I entered The Public Image is Rotten, a portrait of Sex Pistols’ frontman Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), not knowing exactly what to expect. Frankly, it is how I approach all musical documentaries – I feel like the less one knows about the subject the better. In the past, this exercise has served me well – that is watching documentaries on folks I may not know and whose music I cannot pretend to listen to. It is a fun project, a musical journey of sorts in which I venture into a musical arena I may not have otherwise explored.

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Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Full Disclosure

I am quite biased and immovable when it comes to the subject of this Focus Features documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Fred Rogers). No one can tell me that Fred Rogers was not an angel sent down from the very heavens as an example of what we should all aspire to emulate. His ability to talk to and more importantly, to LISTEN to youngsters in a way that made us who were brought up watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood feel important and special is unrivaled.

And to the folks (as featured in the film) who taken a more misanthropic look back on Rogers’ life and impact on culture – sorry but you are wrong.  Very much like the film suggests, I do not think Rogers’ message to young people ever carries any self-importance, privilege or sense of entitlement. In fact, the message is quite the opposite; we are all different – physically, emotionally, spiritually. The lesson he taught us is to never be ashamed of those differences; instead we should make sure to value and hold dear those things that make us uniquely who we are. This is the thread which runs through the documentary.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is not the first documentary to probe into the life and work Fred Rogers. And like all the profiles I have seen, this one continued the streak of leaving me with more than a couple of tears in my eyes at its conclusion.

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Tribeca Film Festival ’18 (Part 2 of 2)

Here is Part II of my adventures at Tribeca Film Festival, 2018 (Part I is here).

Netizens

I have to admit that for as much as I am on various social media platforms during the day, I have not heard this term, netizen. But I guess it is a thing (and makes sense too).

In the wake of #MeToo, many are welcoming the long-overdue conversation we need to have as a society about how we interact with one another in public and private online spaces. As any extended period of time in these spaces will show you, it is not the “world community utopia” which many hoped it would be. At best, online trolling, etc. is merely annoying. At its worst, the interactions can be harrowing and life-altering, as examined in Netizens, directed by Cynthia Lowen.

In this documentary, Lowen looks at three subjects whose lives have been affected by online harassment. After watching this film, I even feel like I am letting the perpetrators off pretty easy by simply calling it “harassment” because what is happening is a violation of the most insidious nature and includes a variety of digital abuse, such as:

  • Non-consensual pornography
  • Cyber-stalking
  • Threats of violence
  • Privacy invasions
  • Impersonation
  • Character attacks

For me a main driver of the narrative is the profile of Carrie Goldberg, a New York City-based attorney who has opened a law firm which specializes in Internet privacy and sexual assault and their intersection. For Carrie, herself a victim of cyberharrassment, this truly is a life’s work. This is not stated to underplay or diminish the stories of the other women featured (Tina and  Anita Sarkeesian). In fact, every woman is given equal time to share their terrifying experiences of being the targets of such horrible personal attacks. But Ms. Goldberg’s story seems to lie at the nexus of all the cases of harassment and how we as a society respond to it (or don’t). The ability of these women to be able to come out on the other side with the courage to share their stories is worthy of our notice.

Netizens tribeca film festival 2018

However as I left the screening, I wanted to hear MORE because it felt like there was a lot more story to tell. After some contemplation, I came to the conclusion that this (sadly) is just the beginning and that there will be many more stories for others to tell …

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