Rise of the nazis is a dramatised documentary telling the story of the how Germany rapidly went from democracy to dictatorship as the nazis rose to power. It details the relationships and interactions between the key political figures involved, and the failed attempts at prevention by opposing forces.
My thoughts:
The documentary is heavily dramatised and has the form of a story unfolding. Although dramatisation can sometimes be tacky, it made the dense facts and information being told engaging and exciting. I ended up gripped and eager to find out what happened next after each event, as if it were a fictional tv show.
I found myself shocked and alarmed by how quickly the German democracy was dismantled without anyone being able to prevent it. Honestly, if it was a fictional story, I would think it unrealistic. I’d always considered democracy to be robust and protected. Learning about Hitlers rise to power has challenged this complacency. I’m stunned at how something like that could be allowed to happen. Has enough changed now to prevent something similar from ever happening again?
The documentary follows a group of activists as they protest during the Egypt Revolution. It follows them as they protest against Mubarak’s regime, the following Military rule, and the following regime of Mohamed Morsi. It portrays uplifting scenes of painting, singing and community protest, as well as heartbreaking scenes of violence and death, providing a powerful and emotional insight into the experiences of the protesters.
Thoughts:
Prior to watching this documentary, I knew very little about the civil and political unrest that had taken place in Egypt between 2011 and 2014. ‘The Square’ furthered my knowledge dramatically as well as providing an emotional insight into the realities of protesting a corrupt and authoritarian regime.
The filming was unobtrusive, mostly recording conversations between the revolutionaries with a fly on the wall style. This allowed the viewer to experience the revolutionaries experiences as intimately and authentically as possible. Whilst watching, I really did feel like i was immersed in their world, sharing their hope, disappointment, happiness and grief as events unfolded.
I was struck by the complexities of rebuilding a democracy after a 30 year regime. It was easy to assume that once Mubarak was removed, a democracy would fall into place. In reality, conflicts of interests between the protesters revealed themselves, and violence between them occurred. The elected leader became just as corrupt as the last, and the protesters were left deflated and divided. The film ends with no clear resolution. I had found myself invested in the hopes of the protesters, and was desperate to find out if their dreams of a true democracy had been achieved. I realised that revolution is not a simple before and after event, but a complex and ongoing process involving huge sacrifice every step of the way.
The feminist presenter decides to explore the world of men’s rights activism, interviewing key members of men’s rights groups and taking a look at ways in which men suffer discrimination. As the documentary progresses her views begin to change, ending in a dramatic proclamation that she ‘no longer considers herself a feminist.’
Thoughts:
Before watching, I was excited about the potential of this documentary to explore a complicated topic in a nuanced and intelligent way. I was disappointed.
First I want to note that I did find myself sympathetic towards the issues raised by the men’s rights activists (or MRA’s). I think it’s undeniable that men suffer disadvantage due to their gender in some areas of society, however the often legitimate arguments of the MRA’s seemed to be mixed in with questionable, one sided arguments that completely lacked critical analysis.
A key topic was men’s disadvantage when it comes to childcare. I completely agree that this is a real problem, but the documentary account of it seemed to lie entirely on biased and questionable anecdotes. For example, it spent an absurd amount of time describing the injustice of how one MRA lost custody of his son after complaining that the mother was causing him to become fat. At one point the man said ‘and of course I’ve been falsely accused too’ a statement which was glossed over and not picked up on at all by the presenter. I was very alarmed at the way in which this account, which had a very obvious lack of objectivity, was accepted without even a pinch of salt. The presenters unwavering acceptance of all arguments made by the MRA’s was a recurring theme throughout the documentary, and it made her come across as naive and gullible.
However, the key frustration for me lay with the framing of the viewpoints. The entire premise felt like a fight between improving men’s rights and improving women’s rights. I was disappointed that she didn’t consider that perhaps these two causes are not mutually exclusive. She had a clear opportunity to examine the bigger picture, and look at how men and women are both suffering from the same system of patriarchy, however instead she resorted to the unproductive debate of who is suffering more. Her disappointing denouncement of feminism at the end of the documentary created the false impression that you cannot support the women’s rights movement whilst simultaneously validating the ways in which men also suffer from the same system. To me, this is a damaging viewpoint which hinders progress and further contributes to polarization between men and women.
annie's documentary reviews 