Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs ShortFest 2022: "Meantime" by Michael T Workman |
I'm so sick from waiting.
Aren't you,
To help the world become good
Also beautiful and nice?
Let us take a knife
The world is cut into two pieces.
And see what worms are eating
At the rind.
--Langston Hughes "Good Morning, Revolution: Uncollected Social Protest Writings
The winner of the Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs Shortfest 2022 will be "Meantime" by Michael T Workman. Michael planted a camera in his dad's home to make the film a "deeply personal exploration of memory and guilt, work as well as the desire to capture the fleeting." In fact, this is what the logline reads. The beauty of this film is the fact that it doesn't really focus on those vague descriptions of human emotions. "Meantime" focuses upon the root of the problems that plague in the United States: capitalism, inhumane labor practices, inadequate assistance for those suffering with mental illness and the fact that the American motto is "pull your self up with your bootstraps" is an physically impossible undertaking. The film outlines the methods by which people in the United States fails to fully ensure the wellbeing of its people all the way from birth until death. As Michael says in a lyrical way in the Q&A "
"It may not be apparent, but I think that the focus of this documentary is the cruelty of capitalism. ...My father is the product of a culture that sees individuals as "human resources," which is a system that treats people as "human resources" and dehumanizes them when they cannot fit in a strict regime of labor and exploitation. "
In its production, as sombre as the bleak Montana winter its set in, "Meantime" is a movie about souls that were wounded but yet grew into caring and loving people.
We were able to ask Michael some questions concerning the process of creating this unique portrait of the family and were thrilled by his thoughtful and warm responses. Check out the following excerpts of our discussion with Michael.
Inspiring:
"The the idea behind this film came to me when I helped my father digitize his videos from home. As I watched them I experienced these deeply emotional moments in the small and seemingly insignificant moments that my father captured. These were not holidays, birthday parties, or weddings which were most affecting. It was the moments where my family members were in the middle in the waiting room for something crucial to take place and having a conversation, laughing or even arguing. These were the times I could see the people I knew in various stages of their lives. My knowledge of their experiences began to deepen. I've always been averse to the idea of making films for personal use, but looking back at the footage and returning to Montana made me want to make this film. ."
His tips on filming family:
"Working with family members is so hard. Deciding when to stop the camera to just be there was the greatest challenge. By the end of the session, my dad and I were over recording. I think I'm good with simply hiding behind my camera at present. My tip for filmmakers working in a family setting is to organize the time and place that you plan to shoot and utilize that to set a limit. Do not film everything all the time, and you shouldn't follow what's going on. You should think about what you'd like to record and let the camera roll. Once you're done, you are finished. There will be things you miss which is fine. It's crucial to set up a situation in which your images increase the likelihood of being compelling and deep. Turn off your camera and go back to living your daily life ."
The reaction of his family to the film:
"My family has seen the movie. I gave it to my mother after I was done that; it was one of one of the most intense experiences that I've had. Since this film is so personal I would go through moments of being completely indifferent to it and instances of deep emotional turmoil. When I watched it with my mom, small details in the movie made me tear up without a break. It's a testament to that the perspective of the people you're watching the film with will profoundly alter the way you experience this film. It was an uplifting experience for both of us , and she learned more about the perspective of my father that she couldn't see then.
I was the most anxious about showing the film to my father. We planned to share the experience but the timing wasn't right and he chose to view the film independently. After he called me to tell me that he had watched it and was saddened, I cried. He told me something along the similar to "Mike I saw your film, and it's an excellent film and I'll never go back to it." The most significant source of anxiety for him wasn't the vulnerability that the film revealed, it was watching himself on the screen, as well as hearing his own voice. It was the voice that made him feel uncomfortable (for me too )."
On challenges faced:
"The most difficult part of creating this film was creating a distance between me and the film. I think this is the main issue with personal projects, and the area when it is most difficult to overcome. Personal films can be emotional for the director but not the audience. I tried to steer clear of this at all costs and to try and distance myself from the movie and view it as someone who doesn't know me personally. Since I was editing I was constantly faced with this issue. I overcame this by having many trusted people near me who offered me honest critical feedback ."
What he'd like us to take into consideration when viewing the film
"It may not be evident, but I am convinced that the topic of the film is the inhumanity of capitalism. Ultimately, this is the root of my dad's inability to lead a fulfilled and comfortable life. Though abuse might be the inciting incident of my dad's struggle, the inability to recover from the trauma is a social ill-effect, not an individual failure. My father is part of a system that views people as "human resources," a system that dehumanizes people who cannot be incorporated into an arbitrary system of labor exploitation.
Capitalism gives working class people two choices: work or beg on the street. While this is never explicitly made clear in the film it forms the underworld basis of the story. If people in my dad's position had access to robust physical and mental health, housing, and food without the need to justify their human rights by working in terrible conditions and living in a miserable environment, they would be able to live happy and safe lives where they could focus on healing their wounds.
The most important information on the titles of the film is that my father's stroke was triggered due to a panic attack during work due to the fact that the business was trying to maximize profit by understaffing the nursing home in which he was employed. I realized that this was a recurring situation for him when I was making the film when I discovered the stress of work more than stress from having an unborn child was what contributed to my dad's mental illness as a young child.
It is also my hope that this film inspires people to cherish the moments they have with their loved family members and to discuss the effects of difficulties and suffering in an empathetic and open-minded setting. Ultimately the emotional core of the film revolves around being a caregiver for parents, understanding them as complex humans and respecting the precious time you have with them ."
Michael's suggestions to budding film makers:
"I always remind my students to battle tooth and nail in order to keep their enthusiasm for making movies. Each step the industry will attempt to push you into the meat grinder of work to make you someone else's tool. They'll try to take all of the fun out of it and set up artificially high stakes for making an absurdly boring material. Anyone who's worked on a large advertising set knows this. My advice is to always be working on something that gets you excited regardless of whether your wage labour work doesn't. Continue to work on your own films or creative activities that allow you to feel like an artist. If you're interested in Sundance and you've lost the joy of filmmaking Why are you making this? ?"
What's next?
"I'm creating a feature documentary concept that is an observational character-driven woven-narrative film located in the mining town of Montana. The project is in the beginning stages of development so I'm unable to provide much beyond that currently.
I'm currently working on a story about people who have jobs they are aware of as completely unproductive. If you're in a position such as this, please reach out by email. The company is currently recruiting ."