The Extrordinary Ordinary

[Johann]

I now know what all the hoopla is about Nicolas Philibert.

Two amazing documentaries were screened @ the PC last night.

Every Little Thing is a film record of the efforts of a mental asylum in the Loire Valley France to stage a production of "Operetta".

Philibert is indeed a genius at "fly on the wall". His editing is so good-- the cuts to the foliage of trees interspersed with shots of the exterior of the asylum and patients was enough for me to be very happy in my theatre seat.
The patients become endearing- the trials of learning lines and singing songs make you fully aware of the troubles of mental illness.
I was won over with this doc.

In the Land of the Deaf is a much-needed film on the lives of deaf people. There are 120 million people with hearing problems in the world, and this doc goes to great lengths to set a few things straight about life with no sound.
The deaf are often thought to be mentally ill. They're not. We hear stories in this doc about how "the hearing" try to "fix" the deaf person's condition. Hearing aids, deaf schools, downplaying sign language (most deaf people hate the fact that they must communicate with non-deaf people. Signing is so much easier and arguably more creative- Philibert makes us aware of the parallels between cinema and sign language)
I particularly like a young man's gripe about hearing aids: "The first time I used it, the noise was so loud! Doors slamming, etc. I would rather be deaf- enjoying my silence".

I learned a lot about deaf people and their condition. Check it out.

[Johann]

To Be and To Have is a very emotional documentary.

Mr. Lopez is a schoolteacher in rural France. He's the best one I've ever seen. He is deeply involved in the lives of his students, cares about them even when they are transfering to middle school, and even guides parents with troubled children.
He's a mediator, friend, "the boss", mentor and disciplinarian. It's no wonder this is the highest grossing documentary in France's history- the teacher is a saint. You can't help but think the guy was born to teach children. And Philibert captures the essence of childhood like no one else in film history.

It was nice to see a child named Johann kick some ass on the playground. :)

The cinematheque was nearly sold out last night, and you could hear sniffles and quiet sobs when Mr. Lopez bids farewell to his charges. This doc is just as good if not better than Winged Migration. I will definitely buy the DVD.

Animals is Philibert's doc on the Museum of Natural History's renovations and restorations from 1991-1994.

The animals and creatures that get fixed/touched up for display are eerily disturbing. They stare at the viewer while taxidermists and scientists stuff, mount and prepare them for exhibition.
The way Philibert shoots their faces gives the dead animals a ghostly life that makes you think about mortality.
A tad on the dark side, Animals is nonetheless further proof that Philibert is a filmmaker who needs no introduction.

(and I had never seen a film of his until this last week)