adykstra-983-384944 Reviews

The Second Cooler (2013)

NAFTA's Unintended Consequences: "The Second Cooler"

[10/10 · 21 March 2020]

When the US, Canada and Mexico first signed the North America Free Trade Agreement in the 1990's, hopes were high for all three countries. What actually happened was that many reasonably well paid jobs in the US were moved to Mexico where wages were far lower and labor unions were simply not possible. This led to migrations of desperation; Mexican and Latin American workers seeking a better life in what seemed the land of promise, the United States. The USA quickly stopped the flow of migrants near larger urban centers. As a result over 5,000 vulnerable migrants suffered abuse at the hand of "coyotes" (ostensibly migrant guides), starvation, thirst and exposure, lost in the remote Arizona desert where they were left to die.

"The Second Cooler" is the documentary about desperate migrants, for whom the NAFTA dream was to become a very personal nightmare.

Midlothia (2007)

Explosive revelation, classic structure

[8/10 · 1 July 2014]

This film was recommended to me by a friend and I am very grateful to him for pointing it out to me. I loved it. As the story unfolded, I sensed there was something very special about the writing. Some films written directly for the screen are not that well-thought out, but this one, based on the play "Pluck The Day" is very well done. A great script worked in this director's favor. Seeing the world these people inhabited, their assumptions, their fears, their insecurities was so fascinating. It was a window on friendship, on trust, on love and loss. After significant revelations, we find that the most sobering shock is that our lives can no longer continue as they have before, and so, following classic structure, our narrative ends with a departure.

The Seminarian (2010)

Well written, directed and acted

[8/10 · 3 June 2012]

I found this to be a refreshing film and very satisfying. I watch many gay movies and find many to be mindless. I am forgiving of many flaws, but not poor writing. This film delivers excellent writing. I wondered for a while whether this was originally a play. Material starting life in another medium has usually been well thought out. I read one of the other reviewers who found the action too slow. Perhaps like many people, that reviewer is too impatient. They cannot wait around for character development and their impatience is their loss. I did not find this slow-moving at all.

I found the relationship between Ryan and his mother believable. There was one scene where Ryan is ending his visit with his mother that I wished the camera had lingered just a little longer on his mother's face as she watches Ryan leave. We could have read in our own thoughts. No doubt some would have complained, though. Perhaps some were put off by the fact that the majority of characters were Evangelical Christians who were not easy cardboard targets.

This film does not pretend to be anything but what it is and I found it to be immensely satisfying. This is one for repeat viewing.