The Screening Rights Film Festival- Midlands Art Centre

Under The Wire

This film begins in a way that epitomizes the general mood of the drama-documentary: in the pitch black. The camera shakes violently, and fast, panicked breathing can be heard as Paul Conroy literally runs for his life. This is the true story of how two journalists, Marie Colvin and Paul Conroy, risked their lives to produce vital coverage of a Syria torn apart by war.

Through genuine footage, we are able to experience first-hand the barbarous shelling of civilian infrastructure, the shrieks of injured young children lying on hospital beds, and the horrified expressions of the creators as they navigate their way through this hell-hole.  This is interspersed with narration from Conroy and other main figures involved with the operation, reporting on the 2012 incidents that no doubt continue to keep them awake at night.

What is greatly compelling is the friendship of the two co-stars, such that they were prepared to work, and even die together in order to tell Syria’s story. When obtaining Visas proved to be a near impossible task, entering the country illegally transpired to be the only option, despite the severe risks this posed. Focusing on the city district of Baba Amr, the pair depict the civilian experience, joined by Syrian activist and translator Wa’el. I felt that Wa’el played a vital role in the operation, as it was gripping to experience the events from the perspective of a Syrian man, grieving for the suffering endured within his home.

The camera navigates through crowded basements of refugees, pain-stricken medical centers, and suffocating walkways. And it is here that we meet the real heroes of the documentary: the widowed Mother who nurtures her family to safety, the overworked doctor who risks his own life to save others. It was refreshing to see a production in which the privileged, Western figures were not glorified and given center stage. This was very much Syria’s story to tell, delivered by hard-working, risk-taking journalists.

This documentary forms perhaps one of the most shockingly real depictions of human suffering and determination available for viewing. Whilst physically exhausting to take in, it is nevertheless vitally important, and something that I highly recommend taking the time to see.

Rating- 9/10

Burning An Illusion

Next up in my viewing schedule for the day comes the 80s film that writer Stephen Bourne described as ‘the first British film to give a black woman a voice of any kind.’ Filmed in London, and featuring iconic 80s fashion and culture, this piece depicts the experiences of Pat Williams, in her attempts to combat the oppression she receives from both her relationship, and society. As the second ever British feature to be produced by a black director, I was keen to witness what kind of themes would be explored and how they would be received by an audience over thirty years after its original production.

The piece features stunning cinematography, with scenes of glamorous couples dancing, intermixed with more everyday shots of shopping and exploring the streets of London. Indeed, it is during these scenes that we get to know the network of women that support each other within this community, regularly meeting to discuss the tribulations of their jobs and relationships. Pat Williams is among the most beautiful and intelligent, agonizing over her lazy, ungrateful boyfriend Del. The injustice of such a power imbalance is emphasized- that despite being more hard-working, ambitious and bright, Pat remains the social inferior of her boyfriend, (and especially so as a woman of colour.)

Yet, Del faces his own share of social injustice, with white British authorities invading his life at every level, such as at work, where ‘they watch me like I’m a dog.’ In a Q & A session after the film, television producer Pogus Caesar argued that young black males, particularly during the 80s, were often driven to “lash out” against the legal system, due to a notion that they were invisible and voiceless within society. Perhaps this is what makes the film so important, that it gives a public and universal voice to such figures, particularly during a time of social unrest and rioting.

Still, the film remains loyal to its protagonist, Pat, who frequently narrates the story, allowing the viewer to gain deeper insight into her character. Whilst she longs for simple domestic ideals such as marriage, she also strives for wider political pursuits, such as the liberation of her race. I interpreted the film’s title ‘Burning An Illusion’ to partially refer to the stock understanding of how a woman should behave, and the way in which Pat is able to destroy this. By taking on the roles of loyal wife and freedom fighter simultaneously, she shatters the “illusion” that women are designed to be merely submissive, which appears all the more groundbreaking through the lens of the 1980s.

I was lucky enough to meet Cassie McFarlane, the leading actress, after the viewing, who expressed that whilst the film was revolutionary in its depiction of gender and race at the time, it may now be considered too simplistic, and perhaps even prescriptive in its idea of what it means to be black. It seems a credit to modern society that we now have many more ways of exploring culture and race, and can now move beyond the basic love story of a young black couple in the 1980s. However, whilst this film is by no means perfect, it is undoubtedly inspiring and a real landmark within the British film industry.

Rating- 7/10