When he interviews his subjects when they are drunk, the woman speaks of her monster inside, she used to suffer from sexual abusing by her father. Vanda, 43, has been drinking since the age of 12. 'Fires were started' (1943)may easily come across as simply a fictional film due to the stylistic use of non-diagetic sound and scripted narrative. When watching the film, there various moments where I felt Paul Watson over stepped the mark, and exploited his subjects. Are you satisfied by his attempts within the film to deal with such accusations? Explaining hell it is! Watson had to exploit his subjects in order to create such an amazing film. This for me over steps the boundaries of ethical filming. So I didnt think that he has exploited his subject at all as this is what we as viewers needed to see. I would not have the heavens fair, I think that I am pretty satisfied with his attempts of dealing with the subject of alcoholism, he has shown a shocking but well-needed documentary to educate all kinds of audiences the effects of alcohol. Rain In My Heart by Edgar Lee Masters There is a quiet in my heart Like on who rests from days of pain. Paul Watsons attempt to defend himself and his arguments against the accusations do make sense. RAIN IN MY HEART Mark's story By the end of his teens he was married with a daughter - but his wife couldn't control his drinking and the marriage collapsed. The problem suddenly doesnt become the alcohol, but their mental state, which is something I learnt from the film. She was healing. Overall were the subjects happy to be on film? This bereavement card features rain only over a tree with a figuring sitting beneath it. In comparison to other hard-hitting and eye opening documentaries and coverage of alcohol/substance addictions, I think that Rain In My Heart is hardly exploitative at all. Troubled Toni, 26, merely laughs at warnings that continued drinking will mean death. The fact he became emotionally involved with such a topic I believe would have helped; it was clear he so wanted them to stay off the alcohol and endure a full recovery. There were some scenes in which the people he was filming were obviously out of it and not at all in a healthy condition, physically or mentally. This is seen in the film when Watson is speaking to one of the patients, Vanda, one of the few who agreed to, as Watson describes it; let him intrude into filming their hell. Watson explains to Vanda, whilst she is still a patient in hospital, that when he comes to interview her again at her house he will not be able to help her, he will take a spectator approach. But that is not a bad thing. At points during the documentary we can see that Watson is clearly affected by watching the subjects drinking habit, however he does mention that this observational style of filming and the stand back nature of it is much more achievable through separating ones own personal attitudes from the subject. Want to save money? I want to quickly point out that, I didnt like the parts in the film where he became the self-reflexive type and centered the documentary on his own emotional state. I realised after I posted this! Mark is being exploited towards the end of the film when he goes crazy and starts crying, screaming, vomiting etc. This is just one example of the reaction that Watsons Rain in My Heart provoked; Not something that is watched and easily forgotten about. Although we see Paul telling Vanda that he will ask her later whether he should use this footage in the film, we do not know if he actually did it. It is hard to watch, but becomes even more uncomfortable when Watson interjects right in the middle of someone elses story, such as Mark, to remind the audience of the monsters. Therefore, Watsons approach definitely satisfied me with how delicately he treats the patients and clearly recognizes his role as filmmaker. However, what I think strongly outweighs this are the positive effects of the film in terms of education. This is also something Watson shouldnt go into. Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now. But for the families and subjects is must be/ must have been a very awkward experience even if they had consented to the film. It is complicated to say if Paul Watsons techniques were successful in the making of the film, as there are arguments from both sides. Thus creating awareness, insight into the medical world and the rising figures of binge drinking, alcohol abuse and its rippling consequences. The consent was given while the participants were fully aware of what they were agreeing to, which makes it difficult to accuse Paul Watson of having really exploited his subjects. Watson creates this feeling in his editing, which makes his points and connections better but is never pleasant as an aesthetic experience. This stuck with me throughout Rain In My Heart, a film which I found pretty difficult to watch. My eyes are dry, my love, since you've been gone, I haven't shed a tear, I'll never cry, my love, though every day seems like a hundred years, For I'm just a fool who clings to his pride but when I'm alone, I can hear the sound of rain in my heart, of the tears that I hide, And it tears me apart, 'cause I keep them inside, I can't get away from /Users/abgsaniya/Desktop/hqdefault.jpg. Rain in my Heart was an incredibly touching yet dark documentary about the wide spread issue that is alcoholism, and at points I was touched by the way in which Watson presented his subjects and their problems. It was really uncomfortable scene to me, Paul trully showed the seriousness of alcohalism and it must influence to the audience. She was also married to him. Overall, I see both sides of the argument. On the other hand, i personally feel like people are indeed exploited. I felt that already Watson was too close to his subjects to represent them how he originally intended to. Filmed in 2006 the film. If there was any moment in the film where you could perceive Watson as exploiting them it would be when he interviews and observes them whilst or after theyve been drinking heavily, of course Watson cannot control what comes out of their mouth, he does have control over what to show to the audience, however showing these moments to the audience ensures that Watson has observed in full, the effects of alcohol and his points of its destructiveness comes across. It was arguably and subtly manipulative how he often said would you like to carry on? as he was probably aware that the answer would be yes due to the state of the interviewees. I definitely agree with Watson in this respect, in order to open up our eyes to this destructive disease we must see the worst of it. However, many critics point out how these subjects are all vulnerable and incapable of really understanding what they are signing themselves up for. It serves its purpose of portraying the realities of alcoholism, and at times may seem harsh, but in doing so creates an ugly truth that otherwise wouldnt be seen. Also while researching I found a Guardian article discussing the film. However, as an observational filmmaker, Watson has a certain obligation to the truth. Paul Watson has a lot to answer for (The Family probably started the reality trend) but Rain in my Heart made up for a lot. Watching Nigel s family crying over his coffin is something that is upsetting and distressing for all. Rain in my Heart (Full). This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson provides a raw account of four alcohol abusers from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. Frank Sinatra Lyrics "Rain In My Heart" My eyes are dry, my love, since you've been gone, I haven't shed a tear, I'll never cry, my love, though every day seems like a hundred years, For I'm just a fool who clings to his pride but when I'm alone, I can hear the sound of rain in my heart, of the tears that I hide, Nonetheless, I think that Paul Watsons work is justifiable and I do not consider him to be selfish. Shop unique custom made Canvas. He explains himself, he is aware of what he is critised for, but overall has achieved an importantly informative film about alcohol and its effects. The seriousness of the topic in the documentary is emphasised through the filmmakers intimacy and relationship with the subjects. All the footage that was quite hard to watch did, however, make the film much more real for me. Rain In My Heart is a documentary that is observing four alcohol abusers Vanda, aged 43; Mark, 29; Nigel, 49 and Toni, 26 from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. If the subjects are happy to be filmed then I dont see the problem as long as they have a stable state of mind. As the director said himself My job is to explain, not entertain. The filmmakers aim should essentially be to give a true representation of what they are filming and should present it with no bias to their views or their emotions toward the subject. What is interesting about this documentary is that when Paul Watson went to visit Vandas home and saw that she had relapsed, he admitted that he does develop emotional ties to the subjects that he is filming, but that he has the ability to stand back. There were no moments where I thought Paul Watson was exploiting his subjects in the film, I simply viewed him as an observational documentarist that attempted to explain the real horrors of self-harming through the use of alcohol. I do not believe that Paul Watson was dealing with the accusations successfully, but I also do not believe that he was making this film completely selfishly. This is not to say there isnt artful construction in the film. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Instead of the man behind the camera, we see him completely bare, exposing himself to the audience. But Ive never felt like Watson exploited his subjects. I feel that Paul Watson did exploit his subjects to some extent. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Its hard to give a black or white answer of whether or not Paul Watson exploit the subject. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But while Watson explains he also interacts with the subject instead of just observing. Currently, Penny Parker's life was great. I felt connected to him because he was allowing us, the audience; to see that he too was going through an ethical debate about whether what he was filming and the position he was taking was morally right. It is a difficult film to watch because of the subject matter it deals with. He pressed forward with the interview and filmming in the crual moment such as his subject vomitted and had a hard time with pain. However in the documentary there is a shot of him asking Why am I asking you to watch Nigel die? and he then says that Nigels wife, Kath, had wanted it to be shown so that the audience would be made fully aware of the consequences of alcoholism. Therefore, i dont feel uncomfortable for his attempts within the film. Paul Watsons ethical procedures are certainly questionable. 22/11/06 - 10:57 #8. Also, I think he had a desire to understand his characters and the reasons of being whothey are. 0 . Even though there is not exact evidence of Kath saying this to Watson, I believe that if she had thought differently the scene would be cut out since it is such a dramatic and personal event. He found the only four people that were willing to take part in this film not to paint them in a bad light, but rather to show the general public what excessive consumption of alcohol could do to a person and how it can affect them physically and mentally, as well as their families. He first asks for consent to film them, telling them that he cannot interfere with anything that theyll do, but in return pushes them to the limit by asking provocative questions. When he asks of her troubled past, he is very interrogative as he continues to ask until she is brought to tears by the discussion of her brothers death, but rather than stop, he pushes on. From a documentarians point of view, Watson did a remarkable job of exploring the brutality of a taboo subject, but from a moral standpoint, the filmmaker may not have been exploitative in his actions but he was definitely extreme. Vanda, one of his participants spoke of the abuse she endured from her Father, and when she told her Mother and she didnt believe her, thats when she turned to alcohol. We follow Nigel and his supportive wife Claire as they spend their final weeks together. But I find he violated the rules of documentary as he did interfere with the subjects and pushed them to an extent that made them fall back. He interrogates the truth, not to exploit or harm the subjects in any way, but to try and uncover how and why these people fell into such a dark and alienated existence. At this point, i would say, at least, it demonstrates the serious damage of alcoholism to many people like me, especially for teengers. This shows how relationships are built up when filmmaking and how subjects and even the interviewer forms attachments. " "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red. Rather, this extreme showing of suffering is an eduction, to open the spectators eyes to this disease and its effects. Nigel, 49, has been dry for ten years, but the damage he has inflicted on his liver is irreversible. On the other hand, I feel that some of the content included in the film did not have to be included. Watsons interference with the subject is, for the most part, kept to a minimum, although the interviews and conversations he has with the subjects comes across as interrogative at times. I personally feel as though Watson did not exploit his subjects as they all gave informed consent when they were sober and in hospital, under the supervision of healthcare professionals who could determine whether they were of sound mind, however this issue can be questioned at some points. he felt that to put this material in the same documentary as his musings about the problems of getting the film made seemed glib and inappropriate. (http://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/nov/05/sheffielddocfestaredocument). Play online or download to listen offline free - in HD audio, only on JioSaavn. Considering this film brings light to the mental conditions that tend to lead to alcoholism, then was Paul Watson in the right place to accept the consent from these people? This is an extremely special place to hunt mule deer and we have an intimate knowledge of the terrain. That both are now vulnerable because they/we are putting ourselves forward to talk about something that is often bypassed. Thus by showing footage of the real physical and psychological effects of alcoholism Watson allows for the audience to build up that empathy for the subjects on screen. At first, I believe, Watson had every intention in trying to, in the most effective way possible, try and exploit his subjects. Outside, the sparrows on the roof Are chirping in the dripping rain. Watson states from the very beginning of the film that he is working with the only four patients who have agreed my intrusions and me filming their hell. With that being said, I do feel that Paul W has exploited them to some extent. He'd been self-harming repeatedly and been in and out of a psychiatric ward. RAIN IN MY HEART. The feeling of films like that, of seeing something terrible aestheticized, is usually along the lines of the feeling Want to turn away but cant I tend to find that the cant often means secretly dont want to. He leads the interviewees go into their deep heart and gradually express their ideas. Rain In My Heart is a weird documentary to watch for me because it is based very near my hometown. Music Video BOWY Rain In My Heart Featured In Album Beat Emotion BOWY Listen to RAIN IN MY HEART on Apple Music. Moreover, one can say that the subjects were exploited not only in the aforementioned scenes, but generally throughout the film. When telling Vandas story, I felt he was very close to her, almost to the point where it could be seen as a personal relationship. Other examples are when he continuing to film Nigels wife as she said goodbye to her dying husband in the hospital and when Vanda told a deep secret about the reason she became an alcoholic. United Kingdom, 2006. 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