I found this film because I was exploring Alexander Dreymon's work. I had watched the trailer and read up on the film. While that was helpful, it did not give away much at all. At first, I was worried I was not going to be able to follow. I was listening so intently to the poem because it was unfamiliar, and trying to relate it to the action. I didn't know if I was going to be "smart" enough to follow. For me, the beginning of a film is just like a book. It takes a minute to get yourself into the action. You are being brought up to speed in a sense. You are getting to know the characters and their lives. As I kept watching, it all pulled me in just as movies we like do. The creative way the film was made is more than my vocabulary and knowledge can describe. I just know I was mesmerized by the way it was done. It was, for lack of a better word, so artsy. I mean, I was intrigued right away because I am a sucker for black and white films. The ability to tell a story without dialogue shows how well the crew and cast are able to do their craft. And finally, the story that the film is telling is heartbreaking and so needed for us to keep moving to understanding how important it is that mental health is part of our health care system. We have all experienced or know some who has experienced a downfall with mental health. It is hard to watch the victim in this film being abused. We tend to focus our empathy and our sorrow to the victim. The film lead me to feel for all of the characters. They show us that we all deal with the path of destruction mental illness can bring, differently. I am hopeful that more films like this one can be thought of as mainstream. I think our society would be more educated if we could embrace all types of art in film making. I think because films like this are not well- known, we feel it is "different, bizarre, or somehow not good enough. When just the opposite is true. Why are we so scared of different??? Different is what moves us forward.
Review of Guys Reading Poems
