Kill the N#&&@R Part 1
- Episode aired Nov 6, 2012
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1.46: Kill the N#&&@r by Lynn Nottage: A good story to an engaging, recognizable and honest conclusion
A woman tells the story of Jimmy Bates – a prisoner in Utah who is on death row. She works for an organization committed to fighting the death penalty, and the case of a borderline mentally ill man who was not present when the murders he is convicted of were committed, seems to be the ideal case to get back on the agenda.
This is the only two part film in the My America series, and even to take one of its parts on its own, it is still one of the longer ones, since most of the film wash up around the 4-5 minute mark. So I was interested to see what a 16 minute monologue would work like, and what about it made it accepted to buck the trend of the rest in terms of format and presentation. On that level I am not sure I can answer but it does work as a whole and it does justify the length because it is a very good build to a simple, but huge, character statement. The statement is more or less just a shrug, and it is delivered after a few lines about the frustration of wishing you could turn off caring or anger at wrongs, but at the same time wanting to fight them, while also wanting to not have to fight them. It is a simple and contained few sentences but it says a lot about the world that we live in and the feelings of many ordinary people who try to be active but at the same time feel like they are on a losing battle against bigger forces who do not seem to see the world the same way.
Given so much is delivered right at the end in these few lines, it does seem like a long walk to get there, however it is not. The story told is engaging, and told with personal color, flair and detail, so we not only understand the context of the situation but also the mindset and feeling of the character. I guess it could have been done in less time, but why when it works so well as it is here? Aharanwa delivers well, holding the scene for long periods of time, giving good personal touches, body language, detail and generally selling not only the story, but more importantly, her character – since this is the bigger picture beyond the case of Jimmy Bates.
It is cleverly written and very well delivered; the point is sharply made and it is only at the end where you appreciate the craft to get the viewer to the point where the few lines at the end mean as much as resonate as much as they do.
This is the only two part film in the My America series, and even to take one of its parts on its own, it is still one of the longer ones, since most of the film wash up around the 4-5 minute mark. So I was interested to see what a 16 minute monologue would work like, and what about it made it accepted to buck the trend of the rest in terms of format and presentation. On that level I am not sure I can answer but it does work as a whole and it does justify the length because it is a very good build to a simple, but huge, character statement. The statement is more or less just a shrug, and it is delivered after a few lines about the frustration of wishing you could turn off caring or anger at wrongs, but at the same time wanting to fight them, while also wanting to not have to fight them. It is a simple and contained few sentences but it says a lot about the world that we live in and the feelings of many ordinary people who try to be active but at the same time feel like they are on a losing battle against bigger forces who do not seem to see the world the same way.
Given so much is delivered right at the end in these few lines, it does seem like a long walk to get there, however it is not. The story told is engaging, and told with personal color, flair and detail, so we not only understand the context of the situation but also the mindset and feeling of the character. I guess it could have been done in less time, but why when it works so well as it is here? Aharanwa delivers well, holding the scene for long periods of time, giving good personal touches, body language, detail and generally selling not only the story, but more importantly, her character – since this is the bigger picture beyond the case of Jimmy Bates.
It is cleverly written and very well delivered; the point is sharply made and it is only at the end where you appreciate the craft to get the viewer to the point where the few lines at the end mean as much as resonate as much as they do.
helpful•00
- bob the moo
- Feb 18, 2015
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