Home Media Magazine - April 13-19, 2008 - (Page 26) REVIEWS I FOR MY COUNTRY: THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL GUARD Prebook 4/15; Street 5/20 MagicPlay, Documentary, $19.99 DVD, NR. Narrated by Pat Boone. www.homemediamagazine.com They were present at Breed’s Hill (now known as Bunker Hill) at the start of the Revolution; at Bull Run during the Civil War; and fought as Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders at San Juan Hill. For My Country traces the history of the National Guard through all these wars, interspersed with anecdotes from current Guardsmen. The movie uses the 1991 Gulf War to frame the Guard’s role as a vital military unit. As part of the current War on Terror, Guardsmen constitute about half our fighting force, comprising a larger percentage of front-line forces than ever before. An additional 50,000 Guardsmen helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Through it all, these men and women don’t consider themselves heroes. They’re just doing their job. In less than 50 minutes, director Darren Thomas deftly conveys the sacrifices made by our Guardsmen, both at home and on the battlefield. The movie demonstrates unwavering support for our troops and their mission. At one point, Thomas plays Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor “Day of Infamy” speech over images of troops responding to 9/11, effectively illustrating the constant cycle of vigilance needed to counter the omnipresent threat of America’s enemies. The DVD includes a music video for a new Pat Boone song, also called “For My Country.” He wrote it in support of the troops, and it’s unabashedly prowar, which is to say it should appeal strongly to the target demographic of the DVD. The song also is included on a CD packaged with the DVD. Boone will be promoting the movie, which was produced through his Gold Label, in a national campaign that includes cable news, talk radio and a variety of publications, including military journals. – John Latchem T he concept of a National Guard began in 1636, with the formation of local militias for the common defense of the colonies. Some form of these militias has since played a key role in every American war. I BEYOND HATRED Prebook 4/15; Street 5/20 First Run, Documentary, $24.95 DVD, NR. In French with English subtitles. hen skinheads killed Francois Chenu in a gay-bashing incident in Rheims, France, his family was devastated. Beyond Hatred begins 730 days later, as the Chenu family tries to come to terms with the vicious, hate-fueled beating and drowning, and prepare for the 2004 trial. The attackers bashed Chenu’s face and threw him, unconscious, into a lake at Leo Legrange Park, thinking he was already dead. He was unidentified when his body was pulled from the water. His sister read of the incident in a newspaper and went to authorities fearing the worst for her overdue brother, a fear confirmed when she arrived in Rheims. What unfolds is the struggle to understand how and why it happened as lawyers prepare to try the three youths accused of the crime and family members cope with the aftermath. The Chenu family is grieving and wants justice; the family members of the youngest attacker — just 16 at the time of the beating — are shown to encourage the Nazi perspective and are accused of hiding evidence W that he took part in the crime (they also receive minor sentences for their complicity). Francois’ parents hope for remorse but find none; a statement from one of the attackers says he’s changed — he still hates gays, but doesn’t need to beat them any more (despite a history of picking fights). It rings hollow. The documentary is presented like a somber French version of a TV newsmagazine, through conversations with family members and legal teams. The treatment relies on the drama of the events rather than clever writing, even though cameras were not allowed in the courtroom because the youngest assailant was a juvenile at the time. The lesson here is that hate begets hate: As each layer peels back, there is more hatred underneath. The Chenu family struggles to find something more in their loss, but acknowledge they are fighting not to become as hateful as the attackers. In the end, Francois’ parents reach out to the attackers, hoping for change. We don’t learn whether or not the criminals turned over a new leaf, and the Chenu family’s effort toward that reform amid their own loss is touching. – Holly J. Wagner I BATAD below, Ag-ap and his friends cross paths with recreational hikers going up — kitted out in proper Prebook 4/16; Street 5/13 hiking gear, including high-topped hiking shoes. Cinequest, Drama, $24.99 DVD, NR. It’s not even the female hiker who captures Ag-ap’s In Tagalog with English subtitles. eye, but the shoes. It doesn’t take long to figure out that shoes are a his film is for anyone feeling the pain of the status symbol, not especially useful in rural rice padU.S. economic situation, and anyone who has ever spent more than $20 on a pair of dies, but common among students and businesspeople in the city. Ag-ap is determined to have a pair spiffy kicks. Trudging barefoot down a mountainous path from of his own, and the life that goes with them. He tries making some from bark, but they don’t the Philippine village of Batad to a market town last a day. He takes work in the village, but earns next to nothing. New sneakers will cost a bundle, and what little he earns he contributes to his family. Eventually Ag-ap gets his shoes, but as so often happens, the price is higher than he expects. Only in giving them up does he get what he really wants. Ag-ap’s quest for shoes is symbolic of a struggle against poverty, but it’s also a story of a young man learning to preserve his family’s traditions and values as he tries to step into a modern world. With some foreign films the humor is so cultural that it doesn’t reach Americans, but Batad is laced with little jokes that cross cultural lines. A sequence with Ag-ap dressing in Ifugao tribal garb to make money posing for photos with tourists is particularly funny. With beautiful (and endangered) scenery, a “Little House on the Rice Paddy” storyline and a little O. Henry irony thrown in, Batad is suitable for family viewing and has values common to most cultures. It has a lesson about what happiness really is and how illusions of happiness can get in the way. T – Holly J. Wagner 26 Home Media Magazine April 13–19, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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