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 To be brief, Reporter follows New York Times columnist Nick Kristof as he searches for the perfect subject for his column regarding the genocide in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To say more, this film is about the failure and success of journalism in both documenting the horrific events in this world and inspiring a call to action. Nick Kristof, a two time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, attempts both of these with every column he writes. Director Eric Daniel Metzgar follows Kristof closely, only appearing a few times by audio to give observational comments on the bedlam spilling out before him. Like an experience physician, Kristof appears immune while witnessing most horrible and tragic human events. We see him surveying a group of starving villagers. They appear to be not depressing enough, as he chooses not to make them the subject of his column. His methods may seem harsh, but in his mind he is doing the most good by writing about only the most heart-wrenching story he can find. We follow behind him until he finally locates his muse. Playing alongside Kristof's search is another dizzying journey which takes him to the dinner table of General Nkunda, the warlord of the region. A charismatic host, Nkunda displays a subtle and ominous intensity with his words. Surrounded by soldiers with automatic weapons, he explains that he is fighting the government to free the country for the people of the Congo. Juxtaposed with the images of the starving and ravaged villagers, we see what are perhaps direct contradictions to Nkunda's claims. Metzgar devotes a small section of the film to a phenomenon referred to as "psychic numbing." This phenomenon, he explains, is why it's so difficult to motivate the average citizen to donate to a cause. As he explains, studies were done to see how much a person would donate if shown a specific image (the example used was a photograph of a malnourished African girl). People would donate a certain amount based on seeing that image. However, if explanatory text was added showing that she was one of four million starving people, then the amount that people would donate went down. The larger the problem appeared to the average person, the more likely they would want to turn their minds off to it and not donate. This "psychic numbing" is what Kristof attempts to overcome with his writing. We see a film like this, and we want to help. We open our wallets and say, "Take whatever you need. I can donate all the money you want." That's not enough, according to Kristof. The shortage doesn't come in the form of money, but in bodies. They need people in the Congo handing out food, educating the children, and healing the sick. That's the difficult commitment: for people to leave their lives behind and devote them to helping strangers in a completely foreign country. Donating money is easy. Making a real difference isn't. 5 / 5
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May 12, 2009 18:58
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 07:05 |
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