Invisible City

How does one find meaning growing up? How does one develop a sense of responsibility if there are no role models to watch? How does one create self-esteem if nobody seems to care?

Invisible City - a film which was honoured with the Best Canadian Feature Documentary award at this year’s Hot Docs festival - endeavours to answer these questions, intertwining the stories of two youths in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood with the massive redevelopment and gentrification of the area.

From a cinematic point of view, Invisible City is an excellent documentary and a very good film. A subtle soundtrack enhances pensive photography and elegant editing. Personally, I dislike excessive intertitles in documentaries because they replace explanations that could otherwise be provided by interview subjects, archival footage, or voice-overs. I think that these other options gradually augment the mood of the film compared to a three second burst of information and in my mind director Hubert Davis missed a chance to weave additional perspectives into the film’s tapestry of personalities.

Viewers need to step beyond the role of an audience member and think about the film as a citizen. How do we (personally and as a society) behave towards outsiders or the less fortunate? I have some idea based on experience but I can’t say that there is a definite solution.

On one hand, I want to say that everyone should treat others as individuals, giving respect and providing opportunities to succeed. Despite whatever happens at school or in the city, everyone needs to understand that they will be known by their actions. The police may patrol Regent Park frequently but residents shouldn’t place themselves in bad situations by breaking the law or hanging out with those who do. It may be bad luck to have been caught in the act but in the end, it was an act that was self-destructive or dangerous to others.

One scene that crops up as I reflect about the film is a discussion between Mikey and his mother after he got into a fight because somebody he didn’t know “talked to [him].” I despise logic like that. Hopefully, Mikey realizes the fallacies in his argument upon viewing the film and self-evaluating his actions.

The film was screened at Eastern Commerce C.I. for staff members and Hubert Davis and Kendell were present. Fortunately, although it may have taken a little longer, both of the film’s subjects seem to be moving forward at school and in the workplace.

Hot Docs '09

Rush lines thwarted attempts to view Rembrandt’s J’accuse and Invisble City. The former may never be screened again in Toronto but the popularity, critical acclaim, and local content of the latter bodes favourably for future screenings. Nevertheless, I was able to screen a trifecta of films during this year’s festival.

Act of God is a subjective look at the effect of lightning.
- Why him and not me?
- Since not everyone was killed, God must know what he is doing
- How do I go forward?
The answer - uncovered differently by different people - is that you just do it. Lightning is a symptom of a universe as chaotic as our own minds and there is no real logic (that we understand) behind its actions.

69 recounts the demolition of the Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen and the concurrent battle between the city and a tribe of outsiders who had been operating the house as a hostel since 1982 Viewers watch the year-long dispute from the perspective of the youth who protest for a new home and search for belonging in society. Some confrontations are violent as the Danish police prove far more aggressive than their Toronto counterparts; others evolve in populist demonstrations.

The outcasts outmaneuver the mayor and the issue is spun into a debate about youth and low-income housing. The original house is demolished but a new one is founded a year later. At the conclusion of the film, the exact details are unclear but there is a sense the Ungdomshuset residents proved their point although further research would suggest that the film ignored the eleven protesters sentenced to a year in prison. Nobody is innocent and perspective is entirely relative.

Shadow Billionaire proved to be the most interesting of the three films. After the mysterious death of enigmatic businessman Larry Hillblom, a number of illegitimate children step forward to claim their inheritance. Apparently, Hillblom had been sleeping around -- everywhere. A legal tug of war ensues over the estate between the executors and the potential heirs. Scores of lawyers become involved, including the State Attorney General for California, each seeking a piece of the half-billion dollar pie.

The film gradually reveals more twists and turns as the legal web becomes increasingly tangled. The diligence and logic of a Filipino attorney in the face of large blue chip law firms finds a resolution in the details of the case. The most thoughtful argument wins, not the loudest one.