I love this style of film, documentaries that unpretentiously take a tiny slice of life and turn it into something compelling, instructive, global, just by directly laying down the facts, presenting a case without condemning its alternative, understanding the reasons why conflict abounds while attempting to find ways to decrease violence, modestly acting in the interests of diplomacy, bold and self-sacrificing calm caring camaraderie.
Peace, peace of mind.
À la poursuite de la paix (In the Pursuit of Peace) examines volatile situations in war torn regions of Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Kurdistan, where ethnic cleansing has torn families and communities apart, giving the survivors justifiable reasons to seek vengeance, although seeking that vengeance only ensures infinite destruction.
The courageous grassroots diplomats who travel to these regions to act as arbitrators of peace do so with neither weapons nor aggrandizing interests.
They're looking to negotiate peace between warring neighbours, help people find food and medical aid, share ideas that encourage healing and well-being, do what they can to end the cycle of violence.
It's one thing to enter a combat zone as a soldier/officer/commander, it's another to enter as a peaceful noncombatant.
Both require differing degrees of bravery, but entering such regions without weaponry, with open arms and peaceful goals, at the mercy of local hostilities, is braver in my opinion.
It's quite brilliant how they proceed, some of them having discovered that in war torn regions both governments and their militarized opposition don't wish to see civilians harmed (according to the film, since the Second World War civilian casualties during wartime are now heavier than those sustained by military personnel), so the aid workers negotiate impartially with both sides, thereby alienating neither to get their workers on the ground, so they can start providing food and medical aid.
It's not quite that simple but that is one basic frame that can be applied.
Turning the other cheek isn't easy, especially when people flaunt their wickedness, but acts of unempowered kindness can help to build bridges where leaders sometimes fail to do so.
As I've said before, and heard mentioned in an episode of Morse recently, sports are a great way to release built-up counterproductive aggression. Like statements from the trailer for Race, on the field it's what you do that matters, not the colour of your skin. Assuming the officials keep that playing field level, enforcing the rules throughout the game, you can blow off steam while staying in shape, forget about petty injustices, and escape from the world for an athletic hour or two.
A lot of people involved in armed conflicts were forced to take part so when the conflicts end it's important to forgive as the process of rebuilding begins.
Tensions still arise in Europe from time to time, but since 1945 the degree of peace the continent has maintained is phenomenal, in comparison with the warlike preceding centuries.
A shining light.
À la poursuite de la paix is also a phenomenal product of translation, with at least a dozen languages, many of them obscure, from vastly different parts of the globe, skilfully translated and presented on the screen in either French or English, depending on which version you see.
I became interested in subtitles after learning that Xavier Dolan writes his own and seeing the phrase Bob's your uncle in Mommy's.
Hence, translating at least a dozen languages into two sets of uniform subtitles really appeals to me; unfortunately I made the mistake of commenting about them after viewing the film, and, in my resolute naivety, forgot that some people don't know that I'm fascinated by subtitle creation (remembered that upon uttering my first word in French and stumbled), and thought, because I was watching the French version, which I understood the majority of, that I was complaining that there weren't any English subtitles. I dislike it when I hear English people complaining about such things at French events and sincerely apologize if I caused any confusion.
A classic Kermode Montréal blunder.
Apologies.
When you think about how small an aspect of a film subtitle creation is, important but not as rewarded as cinematography or editing, and you think about how much time must have gone into writing the subtitles for À la poursuite de la paix, the film's other aspects like cinematography and editing are sincerely pluralized, as is the film's humble message in the context of global peacekeeping.
Canada and Québec can be that proud peacekeeping nation again.
Just a matter of time and energy, commitment, dedication and resolve.
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