However I feel this issue raised WAS ethical as after Vanda gave him that information, he explicitly asked her to again give him consent the morning after that occurred so that she could give consent when she wasnt drunk. I immediately recognised the castle in the establishing shot in the opening sequence and was taken aback that this documentary was made literally where I have grown up and gone to school. When watching Rain in my Heart I felt that to say Paul Watson exploited his subjects is unfair. Paul Watson was capturing the real lives of these alcoholics, he was not interfering with their actions and allowed alcoholics who were told if they drink anymore they could die, to drink. This for me over steps the boundaries of ethical filming. I feel like Rain in My Heart must be a controversial documentray in terms of how dealing with the ethics in this film. He puts himself in the film to explain how he felt at the time, allowing the audience to be involved in his own personal emotions whilst watching his film. 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. It becomes less objective, and much more personal between him and Vanda. The reason for all this was to make people aware about the phenomenon of alcoholism and surely not for attracting more audience. 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. I felt that already Watson was too close to his subjects to represent them how he originally intended to. Another was "drinking less" but needed a Zimmer frame with which to walk; she's 43. 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. By the time she married at 18 she was a serious drinker - the marriage didn't last, nor did a succession of jobs despite her being able to speak at least two other languages. He just shined a light on a topic a lot of people often avoid. Troubled Toni, 26, merely laughs at warnings that continued drinking will mean death. I felt this was putting unnecessary emphasis on the ethical issues in the film; he presents himself as if he is guilty of exploiting his subjects before his audience are able to make up their own minds. Check out our rain in my heart selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Ive found this good review of the film on the internet: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1661761/. In life, many people depend on rain for their livelihood and more. The latest Arizona headlines, breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, and local community stories that matter to you. There are a few scenes that stand out as being the most exploitative. 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. 0. I think that Watson when immersed with these subjects he formed a friendship with, learning to really like some of them and he himself tries to stop some of his subjects from drinking because he wants to see the best happen for them. In making Rain in my Heart I would need to film people with troubled psyches; people within which gremlins and monsters lurk producing psychological pain and miseries, miseries that often push them to self-harm. Just finished it and I wonder what happened to Mark and Vanda. 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. I think that the mutual awareness of the situation between subject and filmmaker, despite the subjects inebriation, helps to prove that it is not exploitative. Here's one depicting true alcoholism in the UK, realism at its best. 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. The subjects had all agreed to be filmed but the thought of switching the camera off and helping must have been fairly strong. She then replies with a smirk, Obviously. Is it really more important that showing the dangerous of alcoholism by peoples moment who dying even ignore their life? He'd been self-harming repeatedly and been in and out of a psychiatric ward. An example could be when Vanda talks about the monsters in her head, one of the monsters being her abusive father, that pushed her into the terrifying world of self-harm. (2006). Read about our approach to external linking. 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. No need . Rain In My Heart raises many ethical issues as a documentary yet highlights many health and social issues current in our society. The earliest version to survive in the Bible is Mark 's Gospel. Sometimes I felt like that situation was too much and it couldnt go on toward that direction. When watching the film, there various moments where I felt Paul Watson over stepped the mark, and exploited his subjects. The card is easy to customize with your wording, font, font color, paper shape options and choice of six paper types. After all, I am satisfied by what Watson did to deal with accusations. The subject was in a particularly vulnerable state and he took advantage of that and filmed her confession. (2006). Documentary which follows four alcohol abusers - Vanda, aged 43; Mark, 29; Nigel, 49 and Toni, 26 - from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. It is clear to me throughout, both when talking to his subjects and when talking to the camera itself that he becomes both emotionally involved and also continuously checks that he is keeping to his promises. This is distressing viewing, so bear that in mind if you plan to watch it but I thought it was also great reminder to keep on doing what i'm doing and staying off the booze. Firstly, there was given consent from all parties that took place. Another point worth making is that every person has a different view of whats going too far. Therefore, Watsons approach definitely satisfied me with how delicately he treats the patients and clearly recognizes his role as filmmaker. Whats offensive? Watson stated at the very beginning of the film that he would not intervene in the lives of the people he was filming and would not stop them from drinking if they relapsed. The film charts the traumas faced by the alcoholics as they bounce between Gillingham Medway Maritime Hospital and their homes, and highlights the emotional impact their struggle has had on those around them. This shows how relationships are built up when filmmaking and how subjects and even the interviewer forms attachments. Overall, I believe Watson does not exploit his subjects because they knew roughly what they were getting themselves into and because Watson simply observed with the camera the tragic events of the subjects that would gain the empathy of the audience towards the effect of alcoholism. I personally feel that Paul Watson did not exploit his subjects in the film. That both are now vulnerable because they/we are putting ourselves forward to talk about something that is often bypassed. 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. A prediction such as this can alter the way she behaves and this documentary is no longer just an observation of her progress. Forum Member. 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. Several times in the documentary we see him struggle to make decisions on how he will proceed with the footage he has. 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. I also believe Watson tried his best to tackle these accusations, baring in mind that overdoing it throughout the documentary could appear to undermine the actual traumas of the patients and their families. 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. Alluding to the culture of exploitning woman, as well as Spielbergs film being a commercial (and one which ends with a very colourful, affirming ending) intent makes it a machine absording actresses and horrors for the output of satisfying drama. francescamancini88. Kath now struggles on a severely limited income. Throughout the documentary there are cut ins of Watson discussing ethical implications during the filming process. Now, with Rain in my Heart, Watson has made the documentary equivalent to The Lost Weekend(1945), the classic feature film about alcoholism, where a writer loses everything through drinking and ends up on a psychiatric ward. I mean most people wouldntHer reaction to his question is also an example as she seemed to be in pain by his disbelief and lack of trust.she even said why else would she be in the state she is in if not because of the trauma she had been through? 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. 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). It is not a pleastant sound. However, i was impressed by this documentary. 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. Is this the feel good factor we crave? The seriousness of the topic in the documentary is emphasised through the filmmakers intimacy and relationship with the subjects. 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. He faced their situations with the most possible respect. 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. - My Last Drunk Home About Us Alcohol Abuse Affects Your Health Alcohol Abuse Affects Others My Last Drunk Alcohol Abuse Rain in my Heart (Full). Comments KNWYRRTS says 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. However, we can all agree that sometimes happiness is simply taking a walk or dancing in the rain. Listen to Rain' in My Heart on the English music album Wonderful Soundtrack by Slim Harpo, only on JioSaavn. Explaining hell it is! Watson had to exploit his subjects in order to create such an amazing film. It is true that these patients are probably not fully capable of realising the whole process of the documentary, however they are aware that a camera is always present and they are sometimes asked by Watson if they prefer it to be switched off. This was a devastating and emotional sequence for me. Watson himself, also repeats that whilst he is filming them he will not intervene; it is his job purely to observe. Twenty-nine-year-old Mark consumes two bottles of vodka per day. 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. Otherwise it would not have been so real and touching and would not have had such an effect on those who watch it. I feel that Paul Watson did exploit his subjects to some extent. Although this had a huge dramatic effect upon the viewer and it allowed the viewer to analyse the particular situation multiple times, I felt that Paul Watson was portraying them as if they were less in control of what they were saying, almost as if they were crazy. Nigel, 49, has been dry for ten years, but the damage he has inflicted on his liver is irreversible. 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. In the moment where Vanda passes out from over drinking, and we see Watson check her pulse, to me I felt as if he was concerned, he didnt sit back and observe her in a blackened out state, he checked on her, he was her responsibility at that moment. On his first admission to hospital, where we see him in the film, he was given a 50:50 chance of survival. But there is no evidence of this happening. But if some of us dont record it, no one else will learn about it. 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. 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. 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. 'Rain In My Heart', was a very touching and eye opening film. There are certainly points in this film in which I believe that the subjects were exploited. Play over 265 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. The problem suddenly doesnt become the alcohol, but their mental state, which is something I learnt from the film. Rain in my Heart is a powerfully, touching film. This is a bit more than just explaining the distress the subjects are going through. Watson chooses subjects based on their deadly addictions to alcohol, an integral part to the film. I think Paul Watson has exploited his subjects in some point. And it tells us a lot; it is educational, eye opening and informative. A prime example of exploitation was the most vulnerable and interesting subject-Vanda. That is a very emotional documentary that began in the hospital with 4 characters and ended in each of their homes- some of them were drunk, the rest are dead. Overall, I see both sides of the argument. Rain In My Heart is a documentary that is observing four alcohol abusers Vanda, aged 43; Mark, 29; Nigel, 49 and Toni, 26 from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. 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. 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. (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. Trivia Goofs Crazy Credits Quotes 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. At no point during the documentary did I feel that the filmmaker was exploiting the subjects, the recording of what can be described as personal and intimate situations felt more like a significant necessity with moral intentions towards bringing awareness towards the seriousness of the consumption of alcohol. I feel it is hard to say if Watson exploited his subjects, because I dont know whatever deal they probably made behind the screen. Another point in this film is when Paul Watson films a drunk subject who discusses the, monsters in her head, which she previously was not ready to do. 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. Paul Watsons attempt to defend himself and his arguments against the accusations do make sense. It is a difficult film to watch because of the subject matter it deals with. By going that extra further he creates a relationship with the subjects. For before the revealing of the alcohol, Watson greets Vanda by pecking her on the mouth and cheek. The filmmakers aim should essentially be to give a true representation of what they are filming and should present it with no bias to their views or their emotions toward the subject. This bereavement card features rain only over a tree with a figuring sitting beneath it. From a personal level I felt it was very moving and eye opening to me on this subject. Rain in my Heart was an incredibly touching yet dark documentary about the wide spread issue that is alcoholism, and at points I was touched by the way in which Watson presented his subjects and their problems. Rain in my Heart (Full). 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. 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