Reflection on Human Flow
The very first scene of this documentary starts
with a drone flying over a raft filled with people in an open Sea. To me that
was shocking considering how many people were in there and how flimsy the raft
looked. Luckily those people where spotted by a humanitarian organization who
were on the look out for incoming refugee boats. After getting those people on
land, many looked just weak and sick and in no condition to keep going but they
did. One of the Helpers said that these refugees were lucky to have gotten to
shore because many die in the sea trying to land in Greece. This was truly sad
for me because I have heard news reports of thousands of refugees dying in the
sea and I guess its different when you actually see footage of the refugees
landing. Almost gives you a sense of relief when they touch land but that’s just
the beginning of their journey.
Ai Weiwei documents refugees journey and
struggles trying to get to safety. He goes to visit many refugee camps. My initial
response to seeing their living conditions was disgusted. No human should have
to endure that living condition. I admire the documentary’s stance. It didn’t preach,
it didn’t shame, it just simply showed you and let the viewer create their own
opinions. Not only did Ai, the director, show the gloom side of everything, he showed
the beauty in these refugees. He showed they were still people who cried, sang,
danced, and laughed. He never once told anyone they should be ashamed of
themselves but rather showed them the lives of the refugees. I commended Ai for
that because he wasn’t pushing his propaganda, just simple showed the facts and
stories of real people. I think the
worst part of watching was seeing how these countries so easily disregarded human
life. This is all a political game to them and they don’t see the refugees as
humans but more of a nuisance. In one part of the documentary, some police were burning the tents and forcing the refugees to leave the country. Another thing that interested me was that there a
lot more refugees then we think. For instance, I had no idea about the “ethic cleansing”
of Rohingya people in Myanmar. Everyone
is focused on Syrian refugees but don’t know about the refugees coming from Africa, Lebanon, and Myanmar. I definitely would recommend this documentary to friends because it teaches you the importance of life and to give thanks to what you have. Ai Weiwei did an amazing job of portraying the seriousness of this crisis and I believe politicians should watch this.
I like how you acknowledged that the film didn't preach or shame and that it allowed a viewer to develop their own opinions. With a topic like human refugees, I imagine it must be difficult for the director to produce a film with an objective lens. Refugees are often portrayed negatively in the media, and like you mention, as nuisances. I would imagine showing refugees as real people (laughing, dancing, and talking) could help remind the viewer that refugees are people too. Although I have not seen the film, I think I would have a hard time seeing the countries' disregard for their own people as well. I also agree that Syrian refugees are mostly shown in the media, and other refugees do not receive as much notice.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your reflection on the film. It seems like you really enjoyed it and brought some insight on the whole refugee matter. I also really liked how you brought up that the director didn't take any sides while filming this because I think that's really important. I do think everyone should be educated on the matter, and view it from all side points without being basis. I'm highly interested in watching this film, after reading your reflection of really loving the film.
ReplyDeleteI like how you implemented what you have heard from news reports and applied that to the actual situations in the film. I feel a lot of times news reports do not properly explain the situations going on and can leave out key information. While this may not necessarily be the news medias fault as they may be getting new information as the story comes out, I feel the way they convey these stories can become an issue. When people hear of these stories on the news, they may not completely understand the situations and might shrug it off as just another bad incident happening in the world. For the people actually living these events, these issues can become life or death situations. Your reflection on this film really encourages me to watch this for myself and see what is really happening.
ReplyDeleteMentioning your thought that the documentary didn't preach and didn't shame was nice. As far as writing goes, I thought that was a good sentence and that it flowed well. I also had no clue about non-Syrian refugees, so your reflection gave me a little bit of current events. I think the name of the documentary is interesting. I never heard of it, and your reflection makes it sound interesting. Those of us who are fortunate enough to attend school, have a roof over our head, clothes on our backs, food to eat, we are very lucky. This sounds like a documentary that can really bring about awareness and humility. These people were in such a bad place in their previous "homes" that they chose the chance of death at sea to escape. It's hard to believe this is something that happens in the world, yet here are all these people faced with that reality.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine the grief and the struggle these refugees faced. I'm sure they watched some of their loved ones drowning, which is a vicious thing to see. Taking in your reflection, these refugees are stronger than I could ever hope to be, and I am wondering to myself if most of them are shell-shocked by the situations going on. Are they there physically, but not mentally? This a question I would want a documentary to focus on. I hope these refugees arent forever coined refugees and they find a calm, country to settle in.
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