Watching Instantly
By Vijay Kumar
August 3, 2010
Browsing through NetFlix’s online streaming collection is not unlike those late Friday nights spent browsing through the movie maze in your local video store. The search for that perfect movie is often tricky. Sometimes you have to deal with a fuming partner and/or a melting tub of ice cream in the car. The pressure is compounded by a listless, unhelpful store clerk in some cases. This column aims to be that clerk for NetFlix Instant Watch – maybe just a little less listless and little more helpful. This is what I waded through recently – at NetFlix.Went Looking For…Believe it or not, I sometimes do have a predetermined playlist while browsing for movie titles. Generally, there is a week between my adding them to the playlist and actually watching them. The movies under “Went Looking For…” are typically the movies that I had slotted as “Ended up with…” the previous week.
Paper Clips
Linda Hooper’s narrative begins with the fact that her town, Whitwell, has only two traffic lights. She is the principal of a middle school housed in what can be termed a poor community. "But," she says in the voice of a dedicated educator, "we have our children." The other teachers in the school seem to share her vision for education. David Smith’s task was to find out a project that showed tolerance. Sandra Roberts wanted to teach the children about prejudice. The students’ narration throws light on the fact that determination is a given for the young ones – no complications – just the task of learning and working towards a goal. Together these remarkable teachers and students were able to create a unique after school project that ends up cleansing people beyond the original target audience. Documentaries always work when the real stories subtly glorify the human element. A remarkable project’s origin and success interlaced with poignant interviews makes this a winning experience.
Munyurangabo
Munyurangabo, or Ngabo for short, is a Rwandan teenager with an adult quest of revenge. He is after the man who slaughtered his family. In his journey he is accompanied by another teenager, Sangwa. The two of them decide to spend some time with Sangwa’s family. While Sangwa’s mother is predictably happy to see him, there is some reservation on the father’s side. The father gives his son a haranguing on abandoning his family for three long years. However, his anger seems to be focused on Sangwa’s new friend, Ngabo, who hails from a warring tribe. Prejudice prevails as the teenagers feel unwelcome in their rest stop. There is added strain between the two as Sangwa makes an attempt to get back to the seemingly idyllic life of farming and providing for his family. Their point of departure from this setting helps conclude a simple story in extraordinary surroundings. This is a peek into a life most will never experience. In its simplicity it brings out the basic strife and hatred that germinate all over the world. A good narrative style to a compelling story makes this a thought provoking movie.
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