Hey folks, Harry here... often times Documentaries can be the most poignant and powerful medium of storytelling because what you are seeing... is real, and in your mind... that often times lets you get more involved.... Here though... Lucian is telling us about a documentary about The Army Of God... Which was a filmmaker's journey to document and look at the inner workings of one of the most militant political/religous groups in the United States... Personally, I very much want to see this film, as... well... Read and you'll understand...
The life of a documentary film-maker must be trying indeed. A documentary can take years to make and often requires immersing yourself into the lives of your subjects. That's wonderful if you like and respect your subject (as must have been the case with Keep the River on your Right which Noizangl has already reviewed) but I shudder to think what the makers of Soldiers in the Army of God must have experienced.
Background: The Army of God is the most militant wing of the Pro-Life/Anti-Abortion movement in the USA. These are the people who advocate (and, in some cases carry out) assassinating abortionist and clinic workers as well as bombing clinics.
The film-makers, Marc Levine and Daphne Pinkerson, clearly oppose the AOGs views but restrict their editorial comment to a few screen captions of statistics and facts. They let the subjects themselves reveal the depths of their views and highlight the irony behind them. Shot in digital video the crisp clarity of the picture is perfect for this sharp look into the minds of people who seem unfathomable to many.
With unprecedented access to a number of AoG members for over a year the film gives a very detailed picture of the views of this group. And, while they may anger some, the views are portrayed as very simple to the film's subjects. After all if you accept that a fetus is no different from a newborn baby, that God not only opposes abortion but compels you /directly/ to oppose it and you focus on the few passages of the bible that advocate spilling the blood of murders (as opposed to the myriad that declare vengeance is the realm of God and God only) their views and actions appear entirely reasonable. As they say themselves it is almost surprising there hasn't been more violence. The AoG, who surround themselves with those who share their views and therefore believe more people agree with them than I suspect actually do, believe a civil war is on its way. The genuinely sad thing is these people honestly do not want violence they simply see no other way to stop what they consider a crime as great as the Holocaust. In casual moments, however, they reveal that their agenda is more than simply saving unborn babies; it also includes imposing a Christian morality through legislation.
The AoG members are fascinating, often in a dark way. Bob Lokey, who maintains an AoG website "Save the Babies" and acts as the self-proclaimed Inspiratory Liason to the AoG is an ex-convict who found God in prison. Part of this discovery included obeying God's command to circumcise himself to show Lokey the true depths of his self-resolve [while I would never say God could not be talking to this person, I will say if God has nothing better to do than tell people to circumcise themselves then I think God really needs a hobby] and fact the producers exploit when Lokey himself suspects he may be the only person in the world to have circumcised themselves, or at least the only one who isn't insane...
Soldier in the Army of God is another film that will probably never be seen by the people who would benefit most from seeing it. At only 70 minutes in length it may have trouble finding distribution in theatres. Perhaps a TV network will give it some broad exposure. What is most disheartening, and what this film highlights, is there really isn't any easy way to resolve these issues. I personally don't like abortions. I was adopted and I know that I am only here to write this report because someone chose to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. At the same time I don't like forcing women to carry a child to term if they don't choose to. Perhaps medical science will bring us birth control methods that require the population to take action to allow pregnancy rather than having to take action to prevent pregnancy. I am left wondering though, if the extreme moral views of people like the AoG would oppose even this compromise...
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