INSIGHTFUL DEPICTION OF HOW AN OBSESSION CAN HAVE POS & NEG EFFECTS
May 2, 2024
DIRECTOR MARCO ORSINI HAS CERTAINLY GIVEN US AN INSIGTFUL LOOK AT HOW ONE'S OBSESSION CAN HAVE BOTH POSITIVE & NEGATIVE EFFECTS.- IN THIS CASE, WE SEE HOW TWO EXTREME ATHLETES' OBSESSION WITH ROWING ACROSS THE OCEAN ALMOST COST THEM THEIR LIVES, BUT IT ALSO LED THEM TO HAVE MORE EMPATHY WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE DANGEROUS JOURNEYS OUT OF NECESSITY & NOT JUST OUT OF PERSONAL OBSESSIONS. (AN EVEN MORE POWERFUL DEPICTION OF THIS WAS MADE IN "JOURNEY OF HOPE.," A FILM ABOUT KURDISH REFUGEES THAT WON BEST FOREIGN FILM FOR 1990). I WOULD HAVE LIKE THE INTERVIEWS WITH THE SYRIAN REFUGEE, BAZOULAY, & THE AFRICAN REFUGEE, MOHAMMAD AL HASSAN, TO HAVE STARTED EARLIER IN THE FILM , & I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE GOTTEN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHY THEY LEFT THEIR COUNTRIES. IN THE CASE OF BAZOULAY, I ASSUME THAT IT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE PERSECUTION OF THE SUNNI & NON-ALAWITE SHIITE MUSLIMS. IN THE CASE OF MOHAMMED, I ASSUME THAT IT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE WAY THAT MODERATE MUSLIMS & CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED BY FUNDAMENTALIST MUSLIMS IN COUNTRIES LIKE SUDAN & NIGERIA. PERHAPS DIRECTOR ORSINI SHOULD MAKE THAT THE TOPIC OF HIS NEXT DOCUMENTARY. ALSO, I WANT TO POINT OUT HOW I LIKED THE SCENE IN WHICH OMAR SAMRA TALKED ABOUT SEEING HIS DAUGHTER AGAIN GAVE HIM A REASON TO SURVIVE, & I ALSO LIKED HEARING HIM TALKING ABOUT HOW HE WAS INITIALLY WORRIED THAT OMAR NOUR WOULD TALK TOO COMPULSIVELY, BUT, WHILE ON THE JOURNEY, HE DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS TALKING MORE THAN MR. NOUR. THE FIRST SCENE TAUGHT US HOW PEOPLE CAN FIND WAYS TO SURVIVE PERILOUS SITUATIONS, & THE SECOND SCENE SHOWED US HOW ADAPTING TO SOMEONE ELSE'S WAYS CAN POSITIVELY EFFECT BOTH THE OTHER PERSON AND YOU.
