Talking To The Screen
Bowling for Columbine :2002
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Michael Moore in his latest documentary, ?Bowling for Columbine?, has aimed his camera directly between the eyes of our American culture. Using the school shootings of 1999 in Columbine and Flint as a starting point, Moore documents the fear and hypocrisy that has come to define this American culture. I?m going to avoid discussion of the specific material presented in this moving film; I feel no need to reinvent the wheel, it would only come out square.
Personally, I have never been witness to a more powerful, more heartfelt documentary. Michael Moore, a Flint, MI native, is obviously shaken, and incensed by these shootings. In the role of forensic sociologist, he tries to reconstruct the scene of the crime. What went wrong? How were these kids led to shoot and kill their classmates? It wasn?t the teasing. Kids are cruel, everyone knows that. It wasn?t Marilyn Manson. No matter what the parents say. So what was it? Why are there so many gun murders in our country?
As clear as Moore?s state of the nation comes across, so does his personality. Typically, a man who faces tragedy with a sense of humor, in doing so, skirts the issue. Moore, through his interviewing, and filmmaking, expresses both his heavy heart and lighthearted wit. This humor is what makes the film bearable to watch. The material discussed is not easy to take. It focuses in on our major flaws and accepts no excuses. There are many images of death, including September 11th footage. That the film leaves the viewer informed and not suicidal is a testament to Moore?s virtuosic presentation.
On leaving the theater, I found myself thinking that if everybody in America saw this movie, we?d all live in a better place. I?ve come down off that high. If everyone in America saw this movie, we?d probably go home to the same frightened, gun laden neighborhoods. But self awareness that ?Bowling for Columbine? can provide would be a good first step for many of us.
Michael Moore in his latest documentary, ?Bowling for Columbine?, has aimed his camera directly between the eyes of our American culture. Using the school shootings of 1999 in Columbine and Flint as a starting point, Moore documents the fear and hypocrisy that has come to define this American culture. I?m going to avoid discussion of the specific material presented in this moving film; I feel no need to reinvent the wheel, it would only come out square.
Personally, I have never been witness to a more powerful, more heartfelt documentary. Michael Moore, a Flint, MI native, is obviously shaken, and incensed by these shootings. In the role of forensic sociologist, he tries to reconstruct the scene of the crime. What went wrong? How were these kids led to shoot and kill their classmates? It wasn?t the teasing. Kids are cruel, everyone knows that. It wasn?t Marilyn Manson. No matter what the parents say. So what was it? Why are there so many gun murders in our country?
As clear as Moore?s state of the nation comes across, so does his personality. Typically, a man who faces tragedy with a sense of humor, in doing so, skirts the issue. Moore, through his interviewing, and filmmaking, expresses both his heavy heart and lighthearted wit. This humor is what makes the film bearable to watch. The material discussed is not easy to take. It focuses in on our major flaws and accepts no excuses. There are many images of death, including September 11th footage. That the film leaves the viewer informed and not suicidal is a testament to Moore?s virtuosic presentation.
On leaving the theater, I found myself thinking that if everybody in America saw this movie, we?d all live in a better place. I?ve come down off that high. If everyone in America saw this movie, we?d probably go home to the same frightened, gun laden neighborhoods. But self awareness that ?Bowling for Columbine? can provide would be a good first step for many of us.