Four alcoholics in and out of hospital over a two month period, reality at its most real. Watson chooses subjects based on their deadly addictions to alcohol, an integral part to the film. And it tells us a lot; it is educational, eye opening and informative. So I guess Im not satisfied with his attempts to explain himself during the film, but only because I think he didnt need to in the first place. But all of these elements and attitudes of the filmmaker were performed in order to achieve a result of what alcoholism really is and of how serious and dangerous its consequences can be. I personally feel as though Watson did not exploit his subjects as they all gave informed consent when they were sober and in hospital, under the supervision of healthcare professionals who could determine whether they were of sound mind, however this issue can be questioned at some points. 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. Comments KNWYRRTS says But there is no evidence of this happening. 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. One of the patients, a caption told us at the end, was now "in recovery". Rain in my Heart(TV Movie) Opinion Awards FAQ User Reviews User Ratings External Reviews Metacritic Reviews Details Full Cast and Crew Release Dates Official Sites Company Credits Filming & Production Technical Specs Storyline Taglines Plot Summary Synopsis Plot Keywords Parents Guide Did You Know? However, what I think strongly outweighs this are the positive effects of the film in terms of education. The consent was given while the participants were fully aware of what they were agreeing to, which makes it difficult to accuse Paul Watson of having really exploited his subjects. Thats exactly what I think about the film: it is extreme and crude in some scenes but this cannot be translated as exploitation but as accurate and careful explanation and evidence of a serious phenomenon such as alcoholism. Here I refer to when he would talk to the viewer/camera about how he felt at certain points of the film it drew away from the importance of what he should have really been filming and instead became self indulgent within the context. 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. (http://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/nov/05/sheffielddocfestaredocument) It is important to understand that Watson is doing his job as a filmmaker and how this certainly does not make in inhumane to the situation. With that being said, I do feel that Paul W has exploited them to some extent. Ones initial reaction would be to strip her of the bottle however, Watson remains faithful to his observational aim and instead of forcefully stopping her he simply tells her that he is disappointed in her. However, Watsons humanity and compassion shines through. http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7140000/newsid_7143600/7143616.stm. However in the documentary there is a shot of him asking Why am I asking you to watch Nigel die? and he then says that Nigels wife, Kath, had wanted it to be shown so that the audience would be made fully aware of the consequences of alcoholism. After filming Vanda revealing what the monsters in her head were, she states Im a little bit pickled (drunk), to which Paul Watson says Im taking advantage of you. However, it doesnt necessaily mean it is totally a bad thing. These subjects were all willing participants, however their capacity to give consent comes into question. WEEK 4 QUESTION:Are there moments when you feel that Paul Watson has exploited his subjects in this film? An example of this is when Paul W asked Vanda whether she was telling the truth about being abused as a child. Whats offensive? Watson most definitely fulfilled what he set out to do and in order to do that, I feel he had to push the boundary as far as he did to achieve this hard-hitting documentary. Rain in my Heart is a powerfully, touching film. He would ask the interviewees why theyve relapsed or if they feel disappointed with their failed progress, but depending on the reaction to these questions, Watson would take a step back if he sensed it was in anyway emotionally challenging, until the subject would take control and continue/stop themselves. Explaining hell it is. All the footage that was quite hard to watch did, however, make the film much more real for me. This bereavement card features rain only over a tree with a figuring sitting beneath it. We follow Nigel and his supportive wife Claire as they spend their final weeks together. This is not to say there isnt artful construction in the film. Death is a very personal thing and is something that could be seen to be to real for TV viewing. But I dont appreciate so much. Rain in my Heart TV Movie 2006 1 h 40 m IMDb RATING 7.6 /10 105 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary Documentary on four alcoholics living in Kent, England. The veins in her legs have contracted because of alcohol, making walking difficult. 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. On Thursday, in a special follow-up film for Newsnight, Paul revisits two of the alcoholics from the film, plus the widow of one of those who died during filming. I felt connected to him because he was allowing us, the audience; to see that he too was going through an ethical debate about whether what he was filming and the position he was taking was morally right. Watson creates this feeling in his editing, which makes his points and connections better but is never pleasant as an aesthetic experience. The attempts to deal with these accusations are unsatisfactory as the unethical conduct exhibited in this film were necessary for the desired effect. I have noticed that many people discuss this film on various alcoholism-related websites and quite a number of people stopped drinking after watching it or at least took it into serious consideration, and even if one person was/ will be saved by this film than it was definitely worth it. Get up to 5 months free The subjects had all agreed to be filmed but the thought of switching the camera off and helping must have been fairly strong. Also while researching I found a Guardian article discussing the film. Watson is not overly invasive at any point, and if anything my only criticism would be that he sometimes gives too much insight into how he feels about what is happening during filming, which I find unnecessary. I found the piece riveting but extremely disturbing. I felt as if he cared for her wellbeing. Even all knows that subjects were vulnerale and needed a help. 2022. For example, Vanda(I think its her name) points at her head and say it is there. To this statement Vanda agrees and understands the relationship between the two of them. However, that would ruin his fly on the wall style of filmmaking. High-quality Rain In My Heart Wall Art designed and sold by artists. How could you go, my love Without a thought When watching the film, there various moments where I felt Paul Watson over stepped the mark, and exploited his subjects. Rain In My Heart raises many ethical issues as a documentary yet highlights many health and social issues current in our society. Critic Richard Brody (http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/taking-it-off-for-the-holocaust) described it: Schindlers List features several of the most vulgar and repellent scenes ever filmed. Firstly there is very little music (it sounded like the grating pop track at Nigels funeral was actually being played live on a stereo) The camera work seems to lack precision and is only there for immediacy. Because the participants in the film are always in a very fragile state because of their problems, it makes the audience question can they actually give valid consent? Thus, having the camera in front of them made me feel that there was a sense of pressure on them to fulfil a certain image of an alcoholic. I would have actually preferred for Watson not to comment on screen during the film. But if some of us dont record it, no one else will learn about it. That both are now vulnerable because they/we are putting ourselves forward to talk about something that is often bypassed. Thanos was gone. There are only so many times we would need to see this clip before it becomes useless to the narrative, and is only trying to evoke fear in the audience as they start expecting, or even demanding, for the situation to suddenly become worse. Also, later on the film when he asks of the liability of the life experiences she has told him, I felt it was very unnecessary to show her breaking down. 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. This makes me feel as though he almost abuses his subject. 0 . It quotes how Vanda told Paul Youre asking me while Im pickled in reference to his questions, as well as youre manipulating me. Therefore, Watsons approach definitely satisfied me with how delicately he treats the patients and clearly recognizes his role as filmmaker. Nervous about designing and ordering your card online? There were some scenes in which the people he was filming were obviously out of it and not at all in a healthy condition, physically or mentally. Personally, I would much rather watch Robert Winstons documentary series on the human body which ended with the filming of a mans death, from cancer, than go Watsons questionable film techniques. During the film one of the subjects Mark says If I am not a advert for not drinking then I dont know what is. (steering away from the public filming location of the hospital) and can we film them in such a vulnerable and dazed state? 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. Critical and disbelieving responses after giving personal information in a safe space, can cause as much pain and loneliness as the original abuse. However, many critics point out how these subjects are all vulnerable and incapable of really understanding what they are signing themselves up for. He faced their situations with the most possible respect. Due to the nature of the subject, I believe there were always going to be complex ethical issues in terms of filming. Maybe it could be argued that editing was used too much in this film as it told you how to feel at certain points. 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. I want to quickly point out that, I didnt like the parts in the film where he became the self-reflexive type and centered the documentary on his own emotional state. He had been in a coma for weeks after his intended sacrifice and showed no sign of waking up. Once Watson sees this he is distinctively appalled and shocked that Vanda, after promising in a previous shot that she would fight to stay sober in the future, has gone back on her words and is drunk again. This is also made clear later in the film when he spends some time filming at one of the female patients, Vandas house. The subjects are very vulnerable and Watson knew this, therefore ethical issues due to the interference of reality from Watson. Rain In My Heart by Edgar Lee Masters There is a quiet in my heart Like on who rests from days of pain. Watsons past experience in using the observational documentary style in his films means that he is well adjusted to the style. The world was slowly healing. From a documentarians point of view, Watson did a remarkable job of exploring the brutality of a taboo subject, but from a moral standpoint, the filmmaker may not have been exploitative in his actions but he was definitely extreme. However I think that this documentary can appear that way simply because it is so intimate and explicit. I doubt he would have filmed the subjects in these environments if he himself doubted they would drop their barriers. On the other hand, i personally feel like people are indeed exploited. Rain In My Heart is a 2006 documentary about alcoholism. On the one hand, Paul Watson did get these peoples consent to be filmed. That is something which I felt could have been left out, as it only showed her weak points and did not help in the documentaries focus on her alcohol problem. The subjects and the families were happy to be filmed and it was unlikely that the film was going to bring more harm than good it was important that he looked at the whole picture and the awareness he could spread with such a film. 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now. This for me was an awkward introduction to have with a subject you are going to see go through an emotional and dark period. This gives the impression that Paul Watson is only interested in the success of this documentary. I do feel that in a way Paul Watson has exploited all of his subjects in this film. It was arguably and subtly manipulative how he often said would you like to carry on? as he was probably aware that the answer would be yes due to the state of the interviewees. I personally believe that the word exploit is quite a harsh word to put on the filmmaker without full justification, its made clear that the subjects wanted to be filmed, Watson treats this permission with a good amount of respect both for the subjects and the topic of the documentary whilst at the same time sustaining his role as the stand back and sympathetic-ear presence. When researching the film I found a web page (which is a old BBC one). This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson provides a raw account of four alcohol abusers from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. This allowed the subjects to be themselves around him as Mark said that he didnt hide his bottle of wine from Watson and the camera because this is what the film is all about. He also gained the trust of his subjects to the extent that Vanda confined in him regarding her abuse as a child, and Nigels wife wanting Watson to be there when she said goodbye to him. We ask a lot of our hunters as many times we will pass 200 inch deer to pursue true giant deer. 2 . Paul Watson has none of this. Posts; 4,539. At one point it says: This type of documentary is not the best way to explain or explore alcoholisms origins. Check out our rain in my heart selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. It followed the treatment of four alcoholics in one NHS hospital in Kent (the only one that would let him in). Rain In My Heart, was a very touching and eye opening film. However, as I mentioned previously, Watson neither encourages nor halts the emotional stress of the patients, he simply asks them questions about their mental state and at times even asks the patients if they would prefer the camera to be turned off. 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. Explaining hell it is! Watson had to exploit his subjects in order to create such an amazing film. If Watson couldnt do that, it wouldve been a pointless project. The decision to include this part of Vandas drunk dialogue is one that is certainly questionable, especially since we are not given evidence as to whether or not she did consent to the inclusion once sober. There are many intimate moments within the documentary, such as the funeral of one of the subjects that had passed due to the abuse of alcohol. Another was "drinking less" but needed a Zimmer frame with which to walk; she's 43. He never appeared to be controlling or interregative in a dominant sense, he remained calm when interviewing his subjects and took their replies without expresing his personal opinion. It seems much so that Paul Watson is very much clear of his role within his observational style of filmmaking in his documentaries. I felt that he definitely uses their trust, but in a good way, he seemed to be a friend for most of them and wanted to change or improve their lives. This was a devastating and emotional sequence for me. Voyeurism this is not. Watsons interference with the subject is, for the most part, kept to a minimum, although the interviews and conversations he has with the subjects comes across as interrogative at times. It becomes less objective, and much more personal between him and Vanda. What is interesting about this documentary is that when Paul Watson went to visit Vandas home and saw that she had relapsed, he admitted that he does develop emotional ties to the subjects that he is filming, but that he has the ability to stand back. About 20 different medications are washed down with pints of vodka and cordial. The Facebook link I posted was created by Nigels son. BBC - Rain in My Heart Watch now This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson provides a raw account of four alcohol abusers from the impoverished Medway towns of north. My DF was a chronic alcoholic (who died after eventually committing suicide) and I grew up with my parents while social circle being people in AA and Al-anon so maybe it was less of a shock to me as I've seen most of this first hand. Play online or download to listen offline free - in HD audio, only on JioSaavn. I think to use the word exploitative to describe the techniques used by Watson to film Rain in my Heart upon his subjects is an unfair judgment. One example from the documentary which I felt that could have made some people to view as Watson exploiting his subjects would be when one of his subject revealed (when she was highly intoxicated) that she had been sexually abused by her father. Play online or download to listen offline free - in HD audio, only on JioSaavn. 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