What The Audience Have Been Saying

Inside the Revolution: A Journey Into the Heart of Venezuela

Screened on March 21

We had the highest turnout for the screening so far. Pablo Navarrete’s documentary clarified the background to the happenings in Venezuela, about which most people had a hazy notion. Most thought this context would be useful in reacting to establishment media reports about Venezuela. Some found the documentary inspiring. Others felt it could have been shorter. There was some debate on whether the film would be as popular outside the Left tradition and if the documentary was a cabaret for the Left. Questions arose on whether it was right for Chavez to go in for repeated re-elections and if this was a weakness of the revolution. The overwhelming reaction was that it would be no bad thing to have more information about happenings there.

Men of the City

Screened on Feb 21

The group watched this documentary which tells the stories of men working in the City of London in the midst of the recent banking crisis. As an account of human alienation - people compelled to do jobs that have no relationship to their real selves -, this is a remarkable film. Rarely has an image of capitalism at empty work been so vividly captured. Those present were impressed and moved. One audience member thought it was too long; another felt that the time flew by and he was sorry to see it end. One expressed concern that it was all about men; but hadn't we also observed that the previous documentary we saw was all about women? The post-documentary discussion was invigorated by a filmed interview with the documentary's director, Marc Isaacs, whose recent work surely marks him out as one of the most original and perceptive documentarists in contemporary Britain.

Time Of Their Lives

Screened on Jan 24

Fantastic, inspirational – wanted to know more about the home – is it selective in intake? Well edited and funny.

How did people get into the home, is there a selection, seemed to be privileged people?

In many places, care is very poor, care in this place was great. If it can be done there, why can’t it be done everywhere?

In many cases, assumption is that working class people don’t have needs other than playing bingo and singing World War 1 songs. Care dumbs people down and denies them their humanity. In general, people are quickly categorised.

Really interesting film – thought provoking, uplifting and moving. Plenty of issues to discuss.

Isn’t it terrific that we still have resources and institutions which deal in risk-taking like the making of this film?

A “formal” introduction –pointing out techniques (e.g. sound scapes) in advance would have been useful. Heating! A screen to “centre” the showing, perhaps?

Good didn’t show pictures of these ladies when they were young. It was not sentimental or idealised. Why did we see shot of people doing odd jobs, interviews with managers, house-keeping staff, what did it add to the story?

It was almost misleadingly casual meander through their lives, gave a lot of hope

Liked some of the sub characters, men didn’t seem to have much to say

I had a secret fear of old age, the film made me less afraid of being old