Tough Issues in Documentaries

A few days ago I wrote that one of the most moving sections of Deadline was when several individuals from the organization, MVFR (Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation) appeared at the podium to tell their story of losing a loved one to homicide but still were against the death penalty. It reminded me of Long Night's Journey into Day, another social-issue documentary that portrays the courage people have during the darkest days of their lives. Although the context is very different (this is a film that followed four cases within South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), set up by the post-apartheid government to consider amnesty for perpetrators of crimes committed under apartheid's reign), like Deadline, it also presents a point of view that is rarely heard: that of murder victims' families willing to acknowledge that continuous violence, in response to violence, is not the answer.

One of the stories told, is about the case of Amy Biehl, a white American, Fulbright scholar and anti-apartheid activist, who was brutally stabbed to death in the township of Guguletu, outside Cape Town.

Four young black South Africans were convicted of her murder and imprisoned. Each then requested amnesty from the TRC, pointing to the racially-polarized atmosphere at the time, the then-popular slogan, "one settler, one bullet," and their assumption that Biehl was a white South African.

In July, 1997, the filmmakers accompanied Amy Biehl's parents as they attended the hearings in South Africa and testified in support of the Commission's goals, stating, to the surprise of many, that they would not oppose amnesty.

Then the Biehls went a step further, meeting with the family of Mongezi Christopher Manqina, one of their daughter's murderers, after Mongezi's mother had sent Mrs. Biehl a message expressing sorrow at her son's responsibility for Amy's death This story examines how, in the midst of their own personal tragedy, the Biehls have managed to honor their daughter's visions for a new South Africa.

Not everyone in Long Night's Journey into Day was ready for forgiveness, nor was everyone willing to support amnesty. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one to murder. But, having seen these films, it makes me feel somewhat better that that there is a range of reactions. Violence and death isn't the response for everyone.

To find more social-issue documentaries that deal with such complicated issues go to Mediarights.org.

Posted by katherine at 12:06 PM