June 29 movie: AV Geeks: Triggerama. We ran into an old friend at dinner beforehand and ended up so late that I almost suggested we blow off AV Geeks and go straight home. I'm really glad we went though, it was a good one! One of the better installments I've seen.
Based on the title I thought this program would be about kids and guns, and I was totally wrong. (I even read Skip's description and I still didn't get it.) "Triggerama" refers to films that are supposed to "trigger" discussion. Open-ended films with lots of point-of-view shots, to make you feel like you're part of the story, that raise moral questions but don't provide an answer. Then whoever is showing the movie is supposed to turn up the lights and encourage the audience to discuss what they would do.
When we came in they were just finishing an incredibly depressing film about visiting a home-bound old man who feels like giving up because he can't get out of his house, and the city is supposed to provide him van rides to get around, but they won't. After that was a series of films about situations that might arise while driving. For instance: you pick up your friend to go to a movie, and his brother is having a party, and they offer you a beer before you hit the road. Or, you're driving late at night, you need to get home to finish your homework, and you pass a really bad accident. Each one ended with line "Remember, you're the driver."
Next was a bizarre short about a girl who won't eat breakfast, but refuses to say why. We speculated that maybe she's a zombie. Last was the best film, and also the only one that provided answers. Called "Shoot Don't Shoot," it was an educational film for cops, explaining when they would be justified in shooting at a suspect and when they wouldn't. The movie would act out little point-of-view scenes and you would have to decide whether to shoot or not. The really interesting thing is that they'd do each scene twice, and the second time would have a totally different outcome. For instance, the first time the suspect would raise his hands and drop his weapon, and the second time he'd pretend like he was going to drop it, but then he'd shoot at the cop. Then the narrator would come in and explain whether and when the cop was legally justified in shooting. It really made you think about the life-and-death decisions cops have to make in a split second.
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