Friday night was Building Babel and we were treated to the short film Paraiso.
Paraiso directed by Nadav Kurtz is the story of window washers in Chicago, what they do and what they see. I have to admit I don't have a head for heights and some of the camera angles gave me vertigo, but that's on me, not the movie. At only 10 minutes long Kurtz packs in a lot. You see the danger and the great pride they take in their work. You also get to know them on a more personal level, their humor, how they feel about their families, their job, and their lives. I loved this movie. I saw eight full length films and one short. This one was ranked #5 out of 9.
Building Babel directed by David Osit tells the story of the attempt to build an Islamic Community Center approximately 2 blocks away from Ground Zero. The protagonist is Sharif el-Gamel, an American born citizen of New York who is a real estate developer. He wants to build an Islamic community center with a prayer room. This has all the hallmarks of being a great idea and a great story, a la Frank Capra, but Sharif el-Gamel is no Gary Cooper or Jimmy Stewart. This story was a bit unsatisfying, as this project could literally be tied up forever it obviously it has no end. In addition, the protagonist is just not that likable and the director really wasn't able to make me care about Sharif and the project one way or the other. Additionally, I just could not suspend disbelief enough to go with the idea that Sharif el-Gamel had no idea whatsoever that this community center would cause such a firestorm. I think he thought he would get some free publicity and was completely unprepared for the backlash. I was disappointed. This one ranked #8 out of 9.
Paraiso directed by Nadav Kurtz is the story of window washers in Chicago, what they do and what they see. I have to admit I don't have a head for heights and some of the camera angles gave me vertigo, but that's on me, not the movie. At only 10 minutes long Kurtz packs in a lot. You see the danger and the great pride they take in their work. You also get to know them on a more personal level, their humor, how they feel about their families, their job, and their lives. I loved this movie. I saw eight full length films and one short. This one was ranked #5 out of 9.
Building Babel directed by David Osit tells the story of the attempt to build an Islamic Community Center approximately 2 blocks away from Ground Zero. The protagonist is Sharif el-Gamel, an American born citizen of New York who is a real estate developer. He wants to build an Islamic community center with a prayer room. This has all the hallmarks of being a great idea and a great story, a la Frank Capra, but Sharif el-Gamel is no Gary Cooper or Jimmy Stewart. This story was a bit unsatisfying, as this project could literally be tied up forever it obviously it has no end. In addition, the protagonist is just not that likable and the director really wasn't able to make me care about Sharif and the project one way or the other. Additionally, I just could not suspend disbelief enough to go with the idea that Sharif el-Gamel had no idea whatsoever that this community center would cause such a firestorm. I think he thought he would get some free publicity and was completely unprepared for the backlash. I was disappointed. This one ranked #8 out of 9.
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