All the footage that was quite hard to watch did, however, make the film much more real for me. In addition, it appears that Watson is aware of the delicate nature of the documentary and embraces this by stating that all the filming was agreed by the sufferers, in order to shy away accusations that he is exploiting the individuals which he observes. This stuck with me throughout Rain In My Heart, a film which I found pretty difficult to watch. I can understand how to other viewers, this film may be seen as a breach to ethics within filmmaking, with how Watson gets so close with his vulnerable subjects, however, I feel that Watsons approach is what makes this film such a powerful observation. I also at times found it hard to watch due to the harsh reality of the subjects lives. MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Former WCCO sports director Mark Rosen says that his wife Denise has died, three years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Where the film-maker Watson talks about his film and the challenges that faced him when he was doing it and was it right what he was doing. Throughout the documentary there are cut ins of Watson discussing ethical implications during the filming process. My main criticism of the film is Watsons commentary on the events and decisions made during filming. Alcohol is used as a coping mechanism, to which Watson openly investigated in particular with Vanda. 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? The earliest version to survive in the Bible is Mark 's Gospel. At this weeks lecture, the first slide read Documentary is most creditable when it comes as close as possible to the experience of someone actually there. Half a bottle of vodka on the train to work at the age of 17 began Mark's journey into alcoholism. http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7140000/newsid_7143600/7143616.stm. As for Nigel, it can be said that he was exploited less than others, because his wife was constantly present, therefore she could control the actions of the filmmakers. That we cant see others be in such a position because we wouldnt want ourselves to be shown in such a state. Watson himself, in a cut away shot and voiceover reveals to the audience that in that moment he lost his ability to be able to detatch himself from a situation. It may not be a documentary, but to get at what Im thinking, look at this scene She was also married to him. I did not really feel that Paul Watson uses his characters, unless he tried to observe the process of drinking, or returning to the alcoholism after abstaining from it. Thus creating awareness, insight into the medical world and the rising figures of binge drinking, alcohol abuse and its rippling consequences. For someone to say that Watson exploited the people in the film is to say that he harmed them in some way, which I dont think he did. So with saying that, I was satisfied with the way that Watson handled his participants. The world was slowly healing. United Kingdom, 2006. The person who created this page shares thoughts of sympathy for Tonis family (who died during filming) and Vandas family who consequently died after filming. Therefore, maybe his techniques did actually work quite well, although flawed and subjective in places. This is also something Watson shouldnt go into. Chapter 1. Just finished it and I wonder what happened to Mark and Vanda. 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. Is it really more important that showing the dangerous of alcoholism by peoples moment who dying even ignore their life? 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. I do feel that in a way Paul Watson has exploited all of his subjects in this film. However, we can all agree that sometimes happiness is simply taking a walk or dancing in the rain. That he doesnt so anything to stop them drinking is a part of their own agency, and I believe shows more respect than if he had intervened. 0 . I remember feeling genuinely scared that some of the subjects were going to die: such as when Mark was at home and was continuing to drink in excess and constantly vomiting. To this statement Vanda agrees and understands the relationship between the two of them. Twenty-nine when he appeared in Rain in my Heart, Mark was living on his own in an untidy flat that closely reflected his own state. I feel like Rain in My Heart must be a controversial documentray in terms of how dealing with the ethics in this film. These cut ins of his soul searching questions illustrate exactly his own empathy towards the subject at hand. BBC - Rain in My Heart Watch now 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. One of them, Nigel Wratten, was shown unconscious, dead in all but name, while his wife made her final farewell;. Firstly, there was given consent from all parties that took place. Documentary, TV Movie. Im thinking of the massacre set to Bach, of the march over the horizon to Israel, and of the justly infamous shower scene. If the subjects are happy to be filmed then I dont see the problem as long as they have a stable state of mind. Rain In My Heart is not an easy documentary to watch. This makes me feel as though he almost abuses his subject. I feel that to say Watson exploits his subjects within the film is unfair. It affected me emotionally and made me understand what an alcoholics reasons might be for drinking, and sometimes it might not just be that they want a drink. To argue my point further, there is a particular example from Rain In My Heart that exemplifies this problem. About the same age as Vanda, Kath has spent more than a decade caring for an alcoholic. This is distressing viewing, so bear that in mind if you plan to watch it but I thought it was also great reminder to keep on doing what i'm doing and staying off the booze. Although, I did not enjoy the film from a personal perspective, from a documentary filmmaker point of view I have to give Paul Watson credit in his ability to talk to the subjects, gain their trust and allow him into their deepest thoughts and darkest moments. 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). (LogOut/ Nigel, 49, has been dry for ten years, but the damage he has inflicted on his liver is irreversible. It is true that there are not many cut ins of his own questioning however Watson thought it be inappropriate to constantly show his own personal struggles when his subjects are undergoing way more traumatic psychological illnesses. The seriousness of the topic in the documentary is emphasised through the filmmakers intimacy and relationship with the subjects. Of the four, two die whilst in hospital and a third dies within five . An example could be when Vanda talks about the monsters in her head, one of the monsters being her abusive father, that pushed her into the terrifying world of self-harm. This is a bit more than just explaining the distress the subjects are going through. such as askingcan we enter the subjects house? 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 particularly found the way that Watson asked questions respectable, when talking about the monsters in Vandas head she stated she didnt want to talk about it and he was reassuring and moved the conversation away from them. Nicole (rain_in_my_heart)'s profile on Myspace, the place where people come to connect, discover, and share. 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. 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. 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. francescamancini88. Otherwise it would not have been so real and touching and would not have had such an effect on those who watch it. 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. He says My job is to explain, not entertain. As an audience member I am conflicted as to how satisfied I am with how Watson deals with accusations about him exploiting the audience. Vanda, 43, has been drinking since the age of 12. I think to use the word exploitative to describe the techniques used by Watson to film Rain in my Heart upon his subjects is an unfair judgment. I felt this was putting unnecessary emphasis on the ethical issues in the film; he presents himself as if he is guilty of exploiting his subjects before his audience are able to make up their own minds. Synopsis. Filmed in 2006 the film. Watson even edits in clips of himself discussing how he felt when seeing his subjects cross back to alcohol, he states I lost that remoteness that I have as a filmmaker I get emotionally involved with people but I manage to stand back and observe and I get a lot of critism for that. That both are now vulnerable because they/we are putting ourselves forward to talk about something that is often bypassed. Watching Rain in my Heart was a particularly harrowing and educational experience for me as a viewer. Paul Watsons ethical procedures are certainly questionable. However, Watson once again denies accusations of exploitation for when he arrives at Vandas to see the door open and clarifies his reason for waiting by stating of course you wait, you dont just go in and more importantly, when the action begins to unfold with a drunken Vanda, Watson says that he must regain his job as someone there to just film what they do to their selves and reassures her that when she begins to talk delicately about her abusive past, that he will not use this footage in the future if she does not want to. Also, I think he had a desire to understand his characters and the reasons of being whothey are. Overall, I do not feel that Paul Watson has exploited the subjects in his film. By making such a real and baring all film, he is raising awareness about the reality of alcoholism and hopefully opening the eyes of alcoholics watching it and even doctors watching it, who can see how to help alcoholics in earlier stages. Currently, Penny Parker's life was great. Is this the feel good factor we crave? But in saying all this we must remember that all the people in the film agreed to be in the documentary. Paul Watson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjy8Z1hK2wY fromSchindlers List, Set to music, shot in thegorgeous shadows of black and white, and perfect balanced frames. I thoroughly enjoyed this weeks viewing, I felt that it was very informative and educational to those who dont have much knowledge about alcoholism. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); http://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/nov/05/sheffielddocfestaredocument, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1661761/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjy8Z1hK2wY, http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/taking-it-off-for-the-holocaust, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LuFOX0Sy_o. I thought Rain In My Heart was a good example of a film that provokes thought about the ethical role of documentary makers. However, from what I saw in the film, Watson does take advantages on his subjects. Ive never seen alcoholism go to this extent. Also just to confirm Gillingham is a pretty shitty place to grow up in, so the documentary comes across as very sincere. Are you satisfied by his attempts within the film to deal with such accusations? Revisiting Rain. Therefore, Watsons approach definitely satisfied me with how delicately he treats the patients and clearly recognizes his role as filmmaker. I believe he does ask himself sincere ethical questions and that he answers them truthfully. 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. Check out our rain in my heart selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Rain In My Heart is an extremely educational film to watch. The latest Arizona headlines, breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, and local community stories that matter to you. When watching Rain in my Heart I felt that to say Paul Watson exploited his subjects is unfair. However, I do not think that Watson intentionally tried to exploit his subjects. (LogOut/ On the other hand, i personally feel like people are indeed exploited. Several times in the documentary we see him struggle to make decisions on how he will proceed with the footage he has. If she was lying she wouldnt tell him would she? '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. He witnessed some horrific scenes throughout filming and only once (that I can recall) did he step in to hand Mark a sick bucket and express disappointment to Venda for her choosing to buy a bottle of vodka. He is a quite good interviewer, especially in the interaction between him and the characters. 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. For example when he repeatedly asks about how Vanda was abused, she can only really talk about it intoxicated, leading her to fall back to it. 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. So yes, as we saw during the screening, he was primarily affected by alcohols effect on his father and then consequently, his entire family. Paul Watson was capturing the real lives of these alcoholics, he was not interfering with their actions and allowed alcoholics who were told if they drink anymore they could die, to drink. 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. SACRAMENTO, Calif. More rain and snow swept through Northern California on Monday, a day after a historic downpour set records and led to dangerous situations on roadways, street flooding,. I felt as if he cared for her wellbeing. However I think that this documentary can appear that way simply because it is so intimate and explicit. /Users/abgsaniya/Desktop/hqdefault.jpg. What I think is that Watson did not exploit his subjects in the film. Seeing the filmmakers process on screen is great when theyre doing something that you need to see. Some of you may felt that Sunday's documentary was a bit light, a little bit like eating candy floss, no substance. Nigel died during the course of filming Rain in my Heart, leaving Kath and two teenage children. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing Use this Bible quiz to test your knowledge of these quotes from the New Testament (Part II) Read Bible KJV Free application is the right tool to listen to the read version of the Bible ( KJV ) for free . This for me was an awkward introduction to have with a subject you are going to see go through an emotional and dark period. This is a scene which perhaps does challenge the idea of ethics by posing the question of how FAR can we go to observe? I also believe Watson tried his best to tackle these accusations, baring in mind that overdoing it throughout the documentary could appear to undermine the actual traumas of the patients and their families. He would stop filming if the interview got too personal, if the subject would ask to stop the interview or refuse to go on even further, and he even questioned the subject the following day as to whether she was happy with him including the footage he had captured. Filmed over the course of a year, Paul Watson's camera follows them from Gillingham . Overall were the subjects happy to be on film? 2 . A prime example of exploitation was the most vulnerable and interesting subject-Vanda. You can watch a short reminder of their stories via the links below. 100. This can be seen when Watson is speaking to Toni about her addiction, something that Toni profusely denies she is. Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now. And it is also a good example to discuss the ethical issues in the documentary. This is followed by a sequence of Claire crying at his funeral and shots of the casket. Secondly, Watson must have gone through a pre-planning stage where he would have had to choose the subjects he wished to include, therefore it couldnt have been as completely objective/unbiased as it seemed. However, this scene does give greatest insight in to why Vanda is an alcoholic, and given the nature of the documentary, this is a critical point that must be conveyed to the viewer to give most depth to the understanding of alcoholism. Troubled Toni, 26, merely laughs at warnings that continued drinking will mean death. Here's one depicting true alcoholism in the UK, realism at its best. I think theyre happy for the attention, to have someone to listen. As with his other films, Watson established a relationship with the subjects during filming. This allowed the subjects to be themselves around him as Mark said that he didnt hide his bottle of wine from Watson and the camera because this is what the film is all about. One ethical issue that could be introduced at this point is how certain filmmakers victimise their subjects. Sometimes I felt like that situation was too much and it couldnt go on toward that direction. From a personal level I felt it was very moving and eye opening to me on this subject. So all these people dont mind being shown in their most vulnerable state on national TV and even Watson at times ask the subjects if they would like him to turn the camera off. But while Watson explains he also interacts with the subject instead of just observing. This is just one example of the reaction that Watsons Rain in My Heart provoked; Not something that is watched and easily forgotten about. Another point worth making is that every person has a different view of whats going too far. Basically, I think Paul Watson is really successful in showing the facts and emotional stuff in this documentary. Nonetheless, I think that Paul Watsons work is justifiable and I do not consider him to be selfish. 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