This is produced in a conversational and reflective tone about Justina and Lucia, two women who have been together for 20 years, married then stripped of their marriage. They are treated with an amount of respect by the United States that is just shy of an actual "citizen." So they shop for a new country.
It's a portrait of Justina and Lucie, with an excellent level and rhythm of music layed underneath their voices. It is honest and humble. The women are not looking for sympathy or for people to side with them. They simply want to be heard and recognized. Something that they are not and have not received from their own country.
While the piece focuses on the reasons why they are moving to Canada, this is not another story where all you hear are the "surface facts and legalities" of why gay and lesbian couples can't get married. This isn't a statistic or a number or a moral belief. These are real people that are being affected by the complacent decisions of the United States. It breaks my heart to hear the line when one of the women says, "I just don't know if I have the strength to endure it."
In Lucie and Justina's eyes, Canada is a place where "They say they're sorry. They recognize the past...They have a middle."
This story is a great way to extends to stronger themes of how citizens of the United States can't be considered citizens because they are refused the entire package. They are handed an outline of the package, with large holes in it.
US citizens venture to Canada to get their prescription filled, better healthcare, and now for a freedom to have "full" citizenship, which in that case means being acknowledged and granted the ability to live as the kind of person you wish to be. This haunts me as I listen to the story.
This story would be in the right place on a national program, especially because is encompasses a couple strong themes besides gay marriage, and it is told through Justina and Lucie, and not a narrator. The story has more depth and personality, it flows with more reality that if I were being told by anyone one else but these two women.
Jim Williams has done beautiful production work, as this was a painfully honest and beautiful story.
This was such a delicate piece, that I felt like Jake was sitting next to me and pushing the 'stop' and 'play' buttons as the archival tape played.
Going back through tape that his late father kept over the years, he blends thoughtful reflections with the simple beauty of the tapes. As his talks about the reasons his parents were so keen on keeping his remnants of youth, the weight of Jake collecting and listening to the tapes becomes heavy and made my throat fell twice as big.
It makes me think - these recordings don't really seem so amazing when they are being made. It takes years and age to make us realize how important they are, how much they hold within them, how they put an extra dimension in our lives that we never could imagine would develop or exist.
This is done in such a remarkable way, especially taking the 'stop' and 'play' sounds of the tape deck to create such a wonderful effect, picking up and pushing off of reflection and realization. And the most pretty thing about this is that as a listener, it's being told to you in the best way possible - in such a way where you feel as if Jake is actually sitting next to you, playing the tape for you. Sharing it with you. I am grateful for that.
Beautifully woven with the texture and weight of each voice, and seamed carefully with ambient sound and music. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, a listener will walk away with some sort of understanding of the real picture. We spend so much time arguing about the issue. This piece is the bridge of understanding. The pace is quick, but not light. Experience and facts. Opinions and beliefs. In three segments, each part of the story picks up and moves on from the previous story. The juxtaposition of each voice gives weight to the next. The intensity of the ambient sounds climbs with the stories and the voices. And the most intellegent thing about this piece reflects the title -- you sometimes don't know exactly what side the person telling the story is taking. This documentary needs space on a national program. It needs to be heard on the smaller stations just as much as it needs to be heard on the larger stations. This piece is the catalyst to taking away every side's fear in order to open the understanding and discussion that has been looked over throughout the history of abortion. I am blown away by this incredible work. Thank you.
When you're faced with a few pounds of mushrooms, it's "time to make stroganoff." This piece by Lou Blouin takes the listener on a one-night journey through dumpster diving. He follows his friends Ben & Jen, who use the technique for both political, but mostly practical purposes. It makes the listener reflect on the kinds of things that we are so quick to throw away, not stopping to think about the repercussions because, well, they're aren't any for a society that runs as we do. There will always be more, we say. Ben & Jen touch on all of these issues, including their own humorous ideas of what they can do with the "waste" of others. The ambient sounds of rummaging through the dumpsters and travelling to the next step were great. It was also wonderful to hear Lou interact with his friends while they were diving. I love to hear narrated pieces that give a warm connection between the narrator and the people in the story. Thanks. It keeps me more engaged. I also love how the piece briefly gives tips to people who haven't dived before, as well as touches on how diving is now used as a trend to so many instead of survival. But isn't that a good sort of trend? Well done man. I think this piece would be great for something along the lines of "Living on Earth." It would give a very nice edge to an environmental show or maybe even something like "Marketplace." Makes me want to go back and read "Travels with Lizbeth" by Lars Eighner.
Comments by Sara Wood
Comment for "Lesbian Couple Moving To Canada"
Sara Wood
Posted on February 26, 2005 at 10:19 AM | Permalink
Review of Lesbian Couple Moving To Canada
This is produced in a conversational and reflective tone about Justina and Lucia, two women who have been together for 20 years, married then stripped of their marriage. They are treated with an amount of respect by the United States that is just shy of an actual "citizen." So they shop for a new country.
It's a portrait of Justina and Lucie, with an excellent level and rhythm of music layed underneath their voices. It is honest and humble. The women are not looking for sympathy or for people to side with them. They simply want to be heard and recognized. Something that they are not and have not received from their own country.
While the piece focuses on the reasons why they are moving to Canada, this is not another story where all you hear are the "surface facts and legalities" of why gay and lesbian couples can't get married. This isn't a statistic or a number or a moral belief. These are real people that are being affected by the complacent decisions of the United States. It breaks my heart to hear the line when one of the women says, "I just don't know if I have the strength to endure it."
In Lucie and Justina's eyes, Canada is a place where "They say they're sorry. They recognize the past...They have a middle."
This story is a great way to extends to stronger themes of how citizens of the United States can't be considered citizens because they are refused the entire package. They are handed an outline of the package, with large holes in it.
US citizens venture to Canada to get their prescription filled, better healthcare, and now for a freedom to have "full" citizenship, which in that case means being acknowledged and granted the ability to live as the kind of person you wish to be. This haunts me as I listen to the story.
This story would be in the right place on a national program, especially because is encompasses a couple strong themes besides gay marriage, and it is told through Justina and Lucie, and not a narrator. The story has more depth and personality, it flows with more reality that if I were being told by anyone one else but these two women.
Jim Williams has done beautiful production work, as this was a painfully honest and beautiful story.
Comment for "Father's Day"
Sara Wood
Posted on February 23, 2005 at 10:15 AM | Permalink
Review of Father's Day
This was such a delicate piece, that I felt like Jake was sitting next to me and pushing the 'stop' and 'play' buttons as the archival tape played.
Going back through tape that his late father kept over the years, he blends thoughtful reflections with the simple beauty of the tapes. As his talks about the reasons his parents were so keen on keeping his remnants of youth, the weight of Jake collecting and listening to the tapes becomes heavy and made my throat fell twice as big.
It makes me think - these recordings don't really seem so amazing when they are being made. It takes years and age to make us realize how important they are, how much they hold within them, how they put an extra dimension in our lives that we never could imagine would develop or exist.
This is done in such a remarkable way, especially taking the 'stop' and 'play' sounds of the tape deck to create such a wonderful effect, picking up and pushing off of reflection and realization. And the most pretty thing about this is that as a listener, it's being told to you in the best way possible - in such a way where you feel as if Jake is actually sitting next to you, playing the tape for you. Sharing it with you. I am grateful for that.
Comment for "Shades of Gray"
Sara Wood
Posted on January 12, 2005 at 01:59 PM | Permalink
Review of Shades of Gray
Beautifully woven with the texture and weight of each voice, and seamed carefully with ambient sound and music. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, a listener will walk away with some sort of understanding of the real picture. We spend so much time arguing about the issue. This piece is the bridge of understanding. The pace is quick, but not light. Experience and facts. Opinions and beliefs. In three segments, each part of the story picks up and moves on from the previous story. The juxtaposition of each voice gives weight to the next. The intensity of the ambient sounds climbs with the stories and the voices. And the most intellegent thing about this piece reflects the title -- you sometimes don't know exactly what side the person telling the story is taking. This documentary needs space on a national program. It needs to be heard on the smaller stations just as much as it needs to be heard on the larger stations. This piece is the catalyst to taking away every side's fear in order to open the understanding and discussion that has been looked over throughout the history of abortion. I am blown away by this incredible work. Thank you.
Comment for "The revolution never tasted so good"
Sara Wood
Posted on January 12, 2005 at 12:50 PM | Permalink
Review of The revolution never tasted so good
When you're faced with a few pounds of mushrooms, it's "time to make stroganoff." This piece by Lou Blouin takes the listener on a one-night journey through dumpster diving. He follows his friends Ben & Jen, who use the technique for both political, but mostly practical purposes. It makes the listener reflect on the kinds of things that we are so quick to throw away, not stopping to think about the repercussions because, well, they're aren't any for a society that runs as we do. There will always be more, we say. Ben & Jen touch on all of these issues, including their own humorous ideas of what they can do with the "waste" of others. The ambient sounds of rummaging through the dumpsters and travelling to the next step were great. It was also wonderful to hear Lou interact with his friends while they were diving. I love to hear narrated pieces that give a warm connection between the narrator and the people in the story. Thanks. It keeps me more engaged. I also love how the piece briefly gives tips to people who haven't dived before, as well as touches on how diving is now used as a trend to so many instead of survival. But isn't that a good sort of trend? Well done man. I think this piece would be great for something along the lines of "Living on Earth." It would give a very nice edge to an environmental show or maybe even something like "Marketplace." Makes me want to go back and read "Travels with Lizbeth" by Lars Eighner.