There was Nigel, in his late 50s or early Uncharted Territory (Priory Pictures/BBC Two, 2006). Rain In My Heart, was a very touching and eye opening film. If we are to look at films that exploit horrors/suffering then we must idenfity the certain aesthetics and language that are used to do this. He would ask the interviewees why theyve relapsed or if they feel disappointed with their failed progress, but depending on the reaction to these questions, Watson would take a step back if he sensed it was in anyway emotionally challenging, until the subject would take control and continue/stop themselves. WebThis powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson follows four alcohol abusers over the course of a year. Also while researching I found a Guardian article discussing the film. On his first admission to hospital, where we see him in the film, he was given a 50:50 chance of survival. 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. Webrain in my heart documentary mark died. Two of the participants in Paul Watson's Rain in My Heart died during filming. 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. The seriousness of the topic in the documentary is emphasised through the filmmakers intimacy and relationship with the subjects. Whats offensive? A stage of construction must have taken place and although the Documentary as a whole seems as real as possible because we take a true insight into the lives of severe alcoholics, Watson has already manipulated his Documentary by constructing the reality before the show had even commenced. Trevor Beckett 799 subscribers Subscribe 526K views 9 years ago Brilliant, unflinching documentary on alcoholism by Kent film maker Paul Watson. Watson most definitely fulfilled what he set out to do and in order to do that, I feel he had to push the boundary as far as he did to achieve this hard-hitting documentary. Seeing the filmmakers process on screen is great when theyre doing something that you need to see. NAVIGATION Vanda, 43, has been drinking since the age of 12. Once she confesses her heartbreaking childhood, Watson mentions that he will check with her tomorrow to see whether she still wants it to be put in [the final cut of the documentary]. I felt it did a fantastic job in warning people of the dangers of alcohol and addiction. In addition, how is one to really define what constitutes as being exploitative? It follows 4 alcoholics from the hospital to their homes. So I didnt think that he has exploited his subject at all as this is what we as viewers needed to see. This attempt to confront the ethical problem of documentary-making did not satisfy me as I couldnt help but feel that Watsons display of concern was more addressing the potential accusations of the audience rather than the problem itself. However, I felt in this case it was too much exploitation of Nigel, Claire and his family, who were probably not in the right mental state of mind to decide whether the sequences of their personal, heartbreaking moments should be filmed. 
Watson is not overly invasive at any point, and if anything my only criticism would be that he sometimes gives too much insight into how he feels about what is happening during filming, which I find unnecessary. 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. The truth of this film is that it brings attention to parts of life that as a society we tend to stay quiet about and so by being a representation for people who go through something so scary, life changing and threatening it can never appear wholly ethical. It was really uncomfortable scene to me, Paul trully showed the seriousness of alcohalism and it must influence to the audience. Their addiction affected them not only when they were drunk, but physically as well as mentally, when they were sober too. Throughout the film, i found it almost challenging to watch as it touched on so many personal issues to Watsons subjects. Watson creates this feeling in his editing, which makes his points and connections better but is never pleasant as an aesthetic experience. 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. It quotes how Vanda told Paul Youre asking me while Im pickled in reference to his questions, as well as youre manipulating me. 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. This shows how relationships are built up when filmmaking and how subjects and even the interviewer forms attachments. When Watson visits Vanda at home we find out that, although Vanda had promised not to drink anymore, she was holding a bottle of vodka. However, I dont think you should abuse the power and trust given by the four patients. Although, there are several moments when this filmmaker and subject relationship is close to breach, he retains his role of confidentiality and recognizes that the subject may not be too sober to make such ethical decisions of what they would like in the final cut or not. As the director said himself My job is to explain, not entertain. However, from what I saw in the film, Watson does take advantages on his subjects. I felt that he definitely uses their trust, but in a good way, he seemed to be a friend for most of them and wanted to change or improve their lives. I do feel that in a way Paul Watson has exploited all of his subjects in this film. On Thursday, in a special follow-up film for Newsnight, Paul revisits two of the alcoholics from the film, plus the widow of one of those who died during filming. However, i was impressed by this documentary. However, Watsons humanity and compassion shines through. Ones initial reaction would be to strip her of the bottle however, Watson remains faithful to his observational aim and instead of forcefully stopping her he simply tells her that he is disappointed in her. No one feels comfortable at the hospital anyway without a camera crew to be there watching your pain and destruction (essentially). 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. But for the families and subjects is must be/ must have been a very awkward experience even if they had consented to the film. Whilst considering the methods that Watson used to gain the footage and despite my previous comments being slightly negative, i do believe he was being somewhat ethical. This was mostly due to the fact that obviously he was filming people with huge vulnerability in their lives, therefore he was careful not to portray the situation as taking advantage of. 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. Throughout the documentary there are cut ins of Watson discussing ethical implications during the filming process. This can be seen when Watson is speaking to Toni about her addiction, something that Toni profusely denies she is. WebMarch 22, 2023 by sachse high school band director. Is it really more important that showing the dangerous of alcoholism by peoples moment who dying even ignore their life? The documentary follows four alcoholics in an observatory manner. I feel it is hard to say if Watson exploited his subjects, because I dont know whatever deal they probably made behind the screen. Numerous parts of the documentary further emphasise this intimacy as we the viewers are taken into the houses of these subjects, as if given permission to enter into anothers personal space which itself is also intimate in the context of the style of filmmaking here (observational). I felt as if Watson was genuine in the fact that he did care, he wanted to see the subjects overcome their problems, in a scene where he is at Vandas house, he stands with her and says although he cant stop Vanda from drinking, he doesnt want to see her do it. Although this might be justified, as their life story is very tragic, I feel Paul Watson pushed them to their limits. One ethical issue that could be introduced at this point is how certain filmmakers victimise their subjects. When watching Rain in my Heart I felt that to say Paul Watson exploited his subjects is unfair. 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. 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. Kath now struggles on a severely limited income. VANDA'S STORY "I'm 43, I I immediately recognised the castle in the establishing shot in the opening sequence and was taken aback that this documentary was made literally where I have grown up and gone to school. He is good at capturing facial expressions and touching moments, though he constantly replays repeated footage to create a moment. Just watched 'rain in my heart' because I fancied a sad watch tonight and god it was so heart breaking. Vanda, 43, has been drinking since the age of 12. He just tried to observe that and filmed everything as it is, while they I assume from the very beginning had agreed to be filmed in any state they are. The question of the ethics of filmmaking is clearly something that is troubling to Watson. The subject was in a particularly vulnerable state and he took advantage of that and filmed her confession. So yes, as we saw during the screening, he was primarily affected by alcohols effect on his father and then consequently, his entire family. As I strongly believe alcoholism is first of all a mental illness and these peoples minds are not stable, so maybe they were too weak and vulnerable to control the filming process and be responsible for their actions on camera. It is true that Watson recorded all of what the people he met were saying, even the most intimate and private details of their existence. 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. Paul Watson does a good job at creating face and gives the appearance of being genuinely interested and sympathetic so in that way it is easier for us to lower our defensive walls and absorb what the documentary is trying to tell us. And I think shots show the photographer and the really things that Watson suffered rise the trustiness of this documentary. If Watson couldnt do that, it wouldve been a pointless project. Rain in my heart is very clinical in its approach to a very tough subject matter, as if Watsons approach matches that of the grief caused by alcoholism for his subjects. This I feel undermines what his role as a filmmaker is as it shows his intentions for the direction of this documentary. By going that extra further he creates a relationship with the subjects. WebNigel died during the course of filming Rain in my Heart, leaving Kath and two teenage children. Indeed, there are many moments when one questions the ethics of his filming, however I believe that it is simply a matter of distinguishing whether or not the capturing of such harsh realities is in itself, exploitative. Half a bottle of vodka on the train to work at the age of 17 began Mark's journey into alcoholism. At this point, i would say, at least, it demonstrates the serious damage of alcoholism to many people like me, especially for teengers. 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. Jump to Media Player. Webcannon falls shooting; rain in my heart documentary mark died. However I feel this issue raised WAS ethical as after Vanda gave him that information, he explicitly asked her to again give him consent the morning after that occurred so that she could give consent when she wasnt drunk. 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. By the time she married at 18 she was a serious drinker - the marriage didn't last, nor did a succession of jobs despite her being able to speak at least two other languages. I find it hard to imagine a way Watson could have made this film without the, sometimes unjust, use of the subjects. During the documentary, Mark (one of Watsons subjects, aged 29) states that he agreed to do filming for Paul to show people why they should not drink alcohol. He acts incredibly friendly with her by holding her shoulders when talking to her, slapping her cheek when she has fallen asleep from drinking etc. And it is also a good example to discuss the ethical issues in the documentary. On the positive side of the argument I agree that Watson, through the cut away shots he includes throughout the film, allows himself to be more personal with the audience. how to describe a dragon breathing fire. Websan bruno golf center closing; what is charli d'amelio's favorite dog name; Products Open menu. Nigel died during the course of filming Rain in my Heart, leaving Kath and two teenage children. The subjects are very vulnerable and Watson knew this, therefore ethical issues due to the interference of reality from Watson. 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