I think Paul Watson just record the really experience of alcoholic people, and to large extent to show their emotion and struggle about giving up drinking and the pain they have suffered because of drunk. 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. 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. When he interviews his subjects when they are drunk, the woman speaks of her monster inside, she used to suffer from sexual abusing by her father. I feel that Paul Watson did exploit his subjects to some extent. Some of you may felt that Sunday's documentary was a bit light, a little bit like eating candy floss, no substance. He interrogates the truth, not to exploit or harm the subjects in any way, but to try and uncover how and why these people fell into such a dark and alienated existence. 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. Thanos was gone. RAIN IN MY HEART. This gives the impression that Paul Watson is only interested in the success of this documentary. 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. Boozenight is on Thursday, 13 December, at 10.30pm on BBC TWO. I think the way though that Watson should come to it should be through meaningful tactics and not in ways that makes the subject feel smaller in order for the audience to feel bigger. I particularly found the way that Watson asked questions respectable, when talking about the monsters in Vandas head she stated she didnt want to talk about it and he was reassuring and moved the conversation away from them. In order to inform and have an impact on the audience, enough to make them think before undergoing any dangerous activity illustrated in the documentary, the use of empathy is crucial. Also while researching I found a Guardian article discussing the film. In addition, how is one to really define what constitutes as being exploitative? Read about our approach to external linking. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Once she confesses her heartbreaking childhood, Watson mentions that he will check with her tomorrow to see whether she still wants it to be put in [the final cut of the documentary]. 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. Documentary which follows four alcohol abusers - Vanda, aged 43; Mark, 29; Nigel, 49 and Toni, 26 - from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. However i think he knew he was being somewhat intrusive. For example, when Vandas temper reaches a certain point and she slams the phone down repetitively, wanting to break it and smash it pieces. family and friends. Rain In My Heart, was a very touching and eye opening film. I found a video called, Revisiting Rain in My Heart, in which Paul Watson revisits the surviving subjects from the film. Frank Sinatra Lyrics "Rain In My Heart" My eyes are dry, my love, since you've been gone, I haven't shed a tear, I'll never cry, my love, though every day seems like a hundred years, For I'm just a fool who clings to his pride but when I'm alone, I can hear the sound of rain in my heart, of the tears that I hide, Overall, I see both sides of the argument. I do not think Paul Watson was exploitave in his filming. During the documentary, Mark (one of Watsons subjects, aged 29) states that he agreed to do filming for Paul to show people why they should not drink alcohol. Hes film is an observational style and he stand back from the nature, but he needed to concern how he react when he encounter with ethincal problem. Although we see Paul telling Vanda that he will ask her later whether he should use this footage in the film, we do not know if he actually did it. 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. Sign-in or Try it free for 3 months. 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. When he asks of her troubled past, he is very interrogative as he continues to ask until she is brought to tears by the discussion of her brothers death, but rather than stop, he pushes on. However, in my opinion, after he knocks over Vandas drink and clears it up for her, he says the phrase I had put so much money on you. What I think is that Watson did not exploit his subjects in the film. However, this scene does give greatest insight in to why Vanda is an alcoholic, and given the nature of the documentary, this is a critical point that must be conveyed to the viewer to give most depth to the understanding of alcoholism. I felt that already Watson was too close to his subjects to represent them how he originally intended to. The latest Arizona headlines, breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, and local community stories that matter to you. I think that Rain in my Heart was a very interesting documentary to watch and posed many questions about the ethics of documentary filmmaking. (2006). Their addiction affected them not only when they were drunk, but physically as well as mentally, when they were sober too. Rain in my heart is a really educational and impressive documentary film for me. That we cant see others be in such a position because we wouldnt want ourselves to be shown in such a state. At first, I believe, Watson had every intention in trying to, in the most effective way possible, try and exploit his subjects. On the other hand, I feel that some of the content included in the film did not have to be included. This is just one example of the reaction that Watsons Rain in My Heart provoked; Not something that is watched and easily forgotten about. 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. In one scene we hear Watson as whether or not the information he is receiving from one of the subjects would be appropriate to include in the finished product. As a viewer, it was uncomfortable to watch Watson try and stay professional. I feel it is hard to say if Watson exploited his subjects, because I dont know whatever deal they probably made behind the screen. It is also true that sometimes the person who was interviewed didnt feel very comfortable about what he or she was saying and probably wasnt aware at all of what it was being said. No one feels comfortable at the hospital anyway without a camera crew to be there watching your pain and destruction (essentially). This sort of fly-on-the-wall documentaries and even reality tv shows have created are becoming more accepting of intruding on other peoples most intimate and private moments. On the positive side of the argument I agree that Watson, through the cut away shots he includes throughout the film, allows himself to be more personal with the audience. 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. There were no moments where I thought Paul Watson was exploiting his subjects in the film, I simply viewed him as an observational documentarist that attempted to explain the real horrors of self-harming through the use of alcohol. 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. In all of these I recognise issues which could be perceived as exploitative. For example, Vanda(I think its her name) points at her head and say it is there. 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. The issue raised here was that Vanda previously refused to tell Watson about her childhood, so only let it out when she was drunk, which one could argue is unethical as she is under the influence of alcohol so she is probably saying things she doesnt want to say. After watching this documentary i get shock of the people shown. 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. This I feel undermines what his role as a filmmaker is as it shows his intentions for the direction of this documentary. Comments KNWYRRTS says I definitely agree with Watson in this respect, in order to open up our eyes to this destructive disease we must see the worst of it. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. And youd be a hypocrite if you didnt think it. There are some moments that I will have questions against this films moral or ethical problems. 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. That he doesnt so anything to stop them drinking is a part of their own agency, and I believe shows more respect than if he had intervened. Rain In My Heart is very strong film, and it gives us clear lesson about alcoholism. Rain in my Heart (Full). It would have shown their time off-screen, sitting in a dressing room, preparing themselves to go on-camera, also chatting and gossiping, then being lined up by the assistant director and going through the magic momentthe transformation into character. He later also mentions that one woman, who had been born in a concentration camp, had a complete breakdown while doing that scene.. Alcoholism is a very sensitive subject for some and as a viewer I felt he was exploiting his subjects; to a certain extent. Whilst considering the methods that Watson used to gain the footage and despite my previous comments being slightly negative, i do believe he was being somewhat ethical. Its probably doing far more good than bad, just in terms of getting the reality of alcoholism out there. 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. 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. Finally, the article posted below discusses Rain in my Heart alongside other documentaries of Paul Watson. However, we can all agree that sometimes happiness is simply taking a walk or dancing in the rain. Seeing the filmmakers process on screen is great when theyre doing something that you need to see. 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. It becomes less objective, and much more personal between him and Vanda. 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? Revisiting Rain. Its hard to give a black or white answer of whether or not Paul Watson exploit the subject. (LogOut/ He just tried to observe that and filmed everything as it is, while they I assume from the very beginning had agreed to be filmed in any state they are. 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