I find it hard to imagine a way Watson could have made this film without the, sometimes unjust, use of the subjects. The seriousness of the topic in the documentary is emphasised through the filmmakers intimacy and relationship with the subjects. There are certainly points in this film in which I believe that the subjects were exploited. The subject was in a particularly vulnerable state and he took advantage of that and filmed her confession. At one point it says: This type of documentary is not the best way to explain or explore alcoholisms origins. Watson intrudes on his film, importantly (and rather unromantically, when we consider the idea of immersive movie magic) shows him forging all the social contracts with his subjects at the start. Louis Theroux reveals his favourite documentaries, all available on BBC iPlayer. For one the subjects were extremely vulnerable which raises the question on whether they were in the right state of mind to consent to being filmed and telling their story. The problem suddenly doesnt become the alcohol, but their mental state, which is something I learnt from the film. Also, i think observation style makes audience to get more shock by the scene without explanation. Alcoholism is a very sensitive subject for some and as a viewer I felt he was exploiting his subjects; to a certain extent. Throughout the documentary there are cut ins of Watson discussing ethical implications during the filming process. This was maybe to excuse himself for what he maybe shouldnt have been doing and to tell the viewer that yes he thought it was wrong, but he was doing it for a reason to explore a topic that most people are scared of exploring. Because Paul Watson deliberately interviews them after they are drunk. The reason for all this was to make people aware about the phenomenon of alcoholism and surely not for attracting more audience. Watson even edits in clips of himself discussing how he felt when seeing his subjects cross back to alcohol, he states I lost that remoteness that I have as a filmmaker I get emotionally involved with people but I manage to stand back and observe and I get a lot of critism for that. Twenty-nine when he appeared in Rain in my Heart, Mark was living on his own in an untidy flat that closely reflected his own state. It may not be a documentary, but to get at what Im thinking, look at this scene (2006). Currently, Penny Parker's life was great. To this statement Vanda agrees and understands the relationship between the two of them. This I feel undermines what his role as a filmmaker is as it shows his intentions for the direction of this documentary. Also when he went to Vandas house and interviewed her, he didnt stop her to drink alcohol. How could you go, my love Without a thought What I think is that Watson did not exploit his subjects in the film. An example being Vanda and the way he gets to know her and in the end explores her painful past. The editing in this documentary played a huge part in how the audience saw and formed views about the subjects that Paul Watson was filming. The intrusion before we learn of sexual abuse is fitting because it prepares us for the horrible, rather than let the scene with Vanda play out suddenly for shock value. But I find he violated the rules of documentary as he did interfere with the subjects and pushed them to an extent that made them fall back. Twenty-nine when he appeared in. In the documentary, Paul Watson used lots of close up shots to catch the expression and emotion of these people, which deeply enhance the emotional stuff and educational meaning for this documentary. I personally think he dealt with this extremely well. Anyway, audiences (including us) will always question whether a subject who is having their whole life pried open for viewing could be a victim of exploitation. As with the film, this documentary presents some uncomfortable and hard to bear realities. However, I do not think that Watson intentionally tried to exploit his subjects. These cut ins of his soul searching questions illustrate exactly his own empathy towards the subject at hand. It is one of overwhelming sickness and reduced privacy/independence. There are a few scenes that stand out as being the most exploitative. She then replies with a smirk, Obviously. Filmed in 2006 the film. 22/11/06 - 10:57 #8. So all these people dont mind being shown in their most vulnerable state on national TV and even Watson at times ask the subjects if they would like him to turn the camera off. Their addiction affected them not only when they were drunk, but physically as well as mentally, when they were sober too. Just finished it and I wonder what happened to Mark and Vanda. For before the revealing of the alcohol, Watson greets Vanda by pecking her on the mouth and cheek. Watching Rain in my Heart was a particularly harrowing and educational experience for me as a viewer. I can understand how to other viewers, this film may be seen as a breach to ethics within filmmaking, with how Watson gets so close with his vulnerable subjects, however, I feel that Watsons approach is what makes this film such a powerful observation. As much as rain can cause happiness, there are times when this phenomenon can cause distress. There are multiple narratives that composes the documentary surrounding each alcoholic; delving into their health, issues and families through interviews and visual representations of their effects. Play online or download to listen offline free - in HD audio, only on JioSaavn. But if some of us dont record it, no one else will learn about it. Rain In My Heart is a weird documentary to watch for me because it is based very near my hometown. Rain In My Heart is a 2006 documentary about alcoholism. Mark is being exploited towards the end of the film when he goes crazy and starts crying, screaming, vomiting etc. It is hard to watch, but becomes even more uncomfortable when Watson interjects right in the middle of someone elses story, such as Mark, to remind the audience of the monsters. Rain is a natural phenomenon that has extreme importance in human society. Join Date; 14th June, 2011. Thus exploiting their vulnerability to further push their weakness and end up with footage that will strike the audiences attention and maybe even get better ratings. Although he felt a great need to capture this real footage, it was only when he almost invaded the subjects personal space (their homes) knowing they would be under the influence of alcoholic beverages, did they begin to open up emotionally and share extremely personal experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjy8Z1hK2wY fromSchindlers List, Set to music, shot in thegorgeous shadows of black and white, and perfect balanced frames. I found the piece riveting but extremely disturbing. However, Watsons humanity and compassion shines through. My beautiful wife, Denise . The fact he became emotionally involved with such a topic I believe would have helped; it was clear he so wanted them to stay off the alcohol and endure a full recovery. Rain in my heart is a really educational and impressive documentary film for me. But theres a film within and around the film, one that Steven Spielberg didnt make but that he or someone else should have made: Spielbergs List, the story of the casting call for the actresses who would be getting undressed and going into the gas chamber that turns out to be a shower. Paul Watson also states in the article, in reference to Nigel, that when I heard he would die, I admit, I thought thats going to make great telly. Comments KNWYRRTS says I feel like Rain in My Heart must be a controversial documentray in terms of how dealing with the ethics in this film. As Watson edits his film himself he gets to choose what stays in the final cut, therefore raising other ethical issues as he may have only chosen to show the subjects at their worst and in very emotional states. I think the problems of ethics in filmmaking cannot be solved. This film must encounter with some ethics problems and Pauls observational style should instigated arguments. 0 . He is exploiting Nigel as he was only continuing to cover the story because he thinks that he will benefit out of it, when the focus should really be concentrating on capturing the truth and reality of the situation, therefore I believe that Paul Watson was exploiting his subjects in this documentary. Maybe the subjects are letting Watson film them like this as a message to say this is a life you dont want to live and in saying that does Watsons exploiting of the subjects send a bigger message that in turn may help people going through the same things. So with saying that, I was satisfied with the way that Watson handled his participants. Since 2016 we have been able to harvest 15 Bucks over the magical 200 inch mark, many eclipsing 215 inches and two bucks over 245 inches. This bereavement card features rain only over a tree with a figuring sitting beneath it. There is one point I dont like about Watsons technique. The attempts to deal with these accusations are unsatisfactory as the unethical conduct exhibited in this film were necessary for the desired effect. At first, I believe, Watson had every intention in trying to, in the most effective way possible, try and exploit his subjects. Sometimes during the film I felt like I wanted to intervene in order to stop what the interviewees were struggling with while telling their stories. Paul Watson has a lot to answer for (The Family probably started the reality trend) but Rain in my Heart made up for a lot. Things which have been considered problematic in Watsons Rain In My Heart include: informed consent from his subjects, the argument of whether or not the filmmaker should intervene in the filming process, the appropriateness of certain parts of the film, most notably Nigels funeral and his grieving family, and finally, the relationship between Watson and his subjects. This shows how relationships are built up when filmmaking and how subjects and even the interviewer forms attachments. I believe he does ask himself sincere ethical questions and that he answers them truthfully. Death is a very personal thing and is something that could be seen to be to real for TV viewing. Even though there is not exact evidence of Kath saying this to Watson, I believe that if she had thought differently the scene would be cut out since it is such a dramatic and personal event. One particular scene is the funeral of Nigel, a man who lost his life due to the addiction. Critics also believe that the tragic scene of when Nigel dies in front of the camera is too much to be shown to the public eye and that he took full advantage of the emotional situation for his own benefit. The way sounds from different moments would melt into each other reminded me of the background cacaphony of hospitals, with distant melodies of monisters, doctors and patients fusing. However, it doesnt justify the ignore her drinking even he had a chance to stop her. United Kingdom, 2006. Although this might be justified, as their life story is very tragic, I feel Paul Watson pushed them to their limits. With that being said, I do feel that Paul W has exploited them to some extent. Overall were the subjects happy to be on film? Before i didnt know that alcoholism could lead to such a terrifying state and even death. I would have actually preferred for Watson not to comment on screen during the film. He witnessed some horrific scenes throughout filming and only once (that I can recall) did he step in to hand Mark a sick bucket and express disappointment to Venda for her choosing to buy a bottle of vodka. such as askingcan we enter the subjects house? Watson edits and cross-cuts footage to emphasize reccuring themes across the alcoholics. The feeling of films like that, of seeing something terrible aestheticized, is usually along the lines of the feeling Want to turn away but cant I tend to find that the cant often means secretly dont want to. This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson follows four alcohol abusers over the course of a year. Some of you may felt that Sunday's documentary was a bit light, a little bit like eating candy floss, no substance. We ask a lot of our hunters as many times we will pass 200 inch deer to pursue true giant deer. I remember feeling genuinely scared that some of the subjects were going to die: such as when Mark was at home and was continuing to drink in excess and constantly vomiting. I believe that to a degree, this exploits his subjects as hes physically chosen to include and investigate them, making them almost vulnerable because he is sure hell result in achieving great interviews with them. The documentary was quite raw as Watson did show his subjects when they were at their most vulnerable, when they had no real control of what they were doing. Firstly, there was given consent from all parties that took place. family and friends. Voyeurism this is not. However, we can all agree that sometimes happiness is simply taking a walk or dancing in the rain. He faced their situations with the most possible respect. He is good at capturing facial expressions and touching moments, though he constantly replays repeated footage to create a moment. Paul Watson. When researching the film I found a web page (which is a old BBC one). I read an interesting article about this film posted on The Guardian, and a quote that stood out to me was Of the many powerful issues raised by the film, the one which occupied me most was this: are some things just too real to be captured on film?. This means as subjects they must think the documentary will help. As the director said himself My job is to explain, not entertain. One of the patients, a caption told us at the end, was now "in recovery". He just shined a light on a topic a lot of people often avoid. The documentary follows four alcoholics in an observatory manner. Although it could be argued that this footage is showing Vanda what she is like when she is drunk, I would say that her answers might have been different if she was sober when she was asked them. It was really uncomfortable scene to me, Paul trully showed the seriousness of alcohalism and it must influence to the audience. Whats offensive? I can see why he added this into the film but I think it did effect the overall tone and flow of the documentary. Mark may well have been a grey area and I wasn't sure whether he was so unhappy because of the drink or if he was using the drink because he was unhappy. The edit involves numerous repeats of dialogue from the patients, which is played at random and juxtaposing episodes, some even without the visuals which make it seem part of the dialogue (for example, when Vanda slams the phone down in anger). Watsons past experience in using the observational documentary style in his films means that he is well adjusted to the style. By going that extra further he creates a relationship with the subjects. I personally feel that Paul Watson did not exploit his subjects in the film. If we are to look at films that exploit horrors/suffering then we must idenfity the certain aesthetics and language that are used to do this. Therefore I agree that their lives were exposed (as they agreed and wanted them to be) but they were not harshly exploited by Paul. I thought Rain In My Heart was a good example of a film that provokes thought about the ethical role of documentary makers. One of the last images we see of Nicole is her hooked up to tubes fighting for her life. Change). I found a video called, Revisiting Rain in My Heart, in which Paul Watson revisits the surviving subjects from the film. There were a couple of moments where I felt that he distracted from what we really should have been looking at. I do not believe that Paul Watson was dealing with the accusations successfully, but I also do not believe that he was making this film completely selfishly. This attempt to confront the ethical problem of documentary-making did not satisfy me as I couldnt help but feel that Watsons display of concern was more addressing the potential accusations of the audience rather than the problem itself. He made this film to show people about the effects of alcoholism, and I think he achieved his goal. Over the course of a film that provokes thought about the effects of alcoholism and surely not for attracting audience! 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