Questions to consider:
1. Why did Errol Morris make this film?
2. What does the film say about our world/the world around us?
3. What did you find interesting in this film?
4. With what do you empathize in this film?
5. With what do you sympathize in this film?
6. Who was the most fascinating person to you and why?
7. If you had a camera pointed at you right now, what story would you tell?
After answering each of the questions, please respond to the documentary with anything you haven't written/said yet. Please leave your initials at the end of your entry. Thank you!
I think Errol Morris was looking for something that America has never seen before. You (Mr. Cook) said yourself he was a nobody before this film. He needed a game-changer to make everyone notice him. It had to be something different than anything else and it did not disappoint. That we are not all in a perfect society. There are people struggling around us and we are oblivious to it. They were cutting off their limbs in order to get their money. That was definitely the most interesting and odd thing I have ever heard of. I empathized for the struggles they had. Everyone can relate to that in a way because we all struggle in life one way or another. I sympathize for the poverty in that city. People need help and it seems like no one is responding. I thought the most interesting person was the guy with the possum that said they would buy them at auctions for 1200-1500 dollars. I would say i miss being in elementary school. The worry free and stress free environment will never be replaced.
ReplyDeleteDW
!. i think tat errol morris made this film to show a simpler form of life in modern day america.
ReplyDelete2. to me this film says that no matter what contry or state or contenent, there will always be people who dont follow the social norm.
3. i really enjoyed how no one was ever asked any questions and instead they just talked.
4. i had a turtle, and i think that the way they looked at turtles and the way i do are similar and different.
5.i sympathize for the guy who got confused about how the boat came through.
6.i thought that the guy who couldnt figure out how the water got there was the most interesting.
7. some camping story or another.
1) Morris made this film to show what kind of people lived in Vernon, he thought this would interest people because of all the insurance claims
ReplyDelete2) It says that the world around us is a lot bigger than we think
3) I thought the most interesting thing of the film was the one way dialogue of all the characters in the film
4) The scene when they are all in the church reminded me of my mothers old country town in northern mississippi. The church is almost exactly the same. They even sing the same opening hymn as the church in the movie.
5) I felt a little sympathy for the old guy with glasses, he seemed like he didn't really fit in with all the other towns people
6) I liked the hunter because I was amazed at how fixated he was on hunting turkey.
7) I would probably tell the story of the backpacking trip I went on in New Mexico
The only thing the documentary left out is what happened to the people of the town after they got caught for making the false insurance claims. Other than that I thought it was pretty funny.
MR
1. I think that Errol Morris made this film to reveal the ordinary people of a small town in Florida. It is interesting what happens in small towns that many people cannot even imagine people behaving like this.
ReplyDelete2. The film says that a lot goes on in the world around us that many people are not aware of.
3. I found it interesting how random the topics that the people chose to talk about were.
4. I empathize with the man who talked about how you learn more through experience at times rather than what is in the textbooks. I love to bake, and baking is something that you cannot learn from a book. Practice and experience is what makes you a good baker.
5. I sympathize with the man who talked about the water. I feel bad because he seemed so confused, and it reminded me of when my grandfather got older and began to say things very strange.
6. The most fascinating person to me was the man who had the animals. This is because I don't know how someone could find possums so interesting and how he didn't think that it was cruel to hold the possum by the tail and let it sort of run in the sand.
7. I would probably talk about the process of applying to colleges and waiting to hear back from those schools. I would talk about how it feels to receive the acceptance from my number 1 school, and the joy that I experienced when I found out that I got in!
AV
1. Erin Morris made this film to bring the people of Vernon, Florida to light. The people of Vernon were openly causing themselves personal injury in order to receive money from insurance companies. Morris knew about the fraud going on in Vernon so he decided to investigate. He began filming the people in Vernon but they were upset because they did not want to have the bad publicity. Morris decided that he would make a documentary solely about the people in Vernon that had nothing to do with the personal injury insurance scandal.
ReplyDelete2. I think that this documentary made me realize that there are so many different types of people in the world. We can live our whole life turning a blind eye to the “different” people in the world, or we can embrace them for their uniqueness.
3. I found the people in this film interesting. They were so different from the individuals I spend time with. I found the man who played with the possum particularly interesting and funny. He was so content with his life in all its simplicity.
4. I empathize with the man who turkey hunts. He was so passionate about turkey hunting, which was what he looked forward to every day of his life. I am passionate about my family and friends. I look forward to spending time with them every day.
5. In a way, I feel bad for all of the people in this film because they seem so uneducated. Yet, at the same time I think they are perfectly content with themselves and where they stand in life.
6. I think that the man who appeared first in the film was the most interesting. He didn’t really do anything special at all he just rambled on about nothing. He was perfectly confident that everything he was saying was meaningful and important.
7. I would tell a story about my little sister and her struggle with cancer and how it brought my family so much closer.
I think Errol Morris made this film because he wanted to make a film that was unscripted. He wanted to make a film that he would have no idea what the outcome would be until he put together all the recordings. This film shows that there are people who live completely different lives, but just live miles apart. The people of Vernon seem to be somewhat clueless, but do not seem to know the extent of their own cluelessness. It shows how people really are formed by their surroundings, and when you don't have many things around you your idea of entertainment can be completely different. I thought it was interesting how it was completely unscripted, and the people just ramble without questions. I empathize with the man who was saying that textbooks don't really teach you because sometimes you can't just read a textbook to learn something. Sometimes you need to have a real life experience and have someone teach it to you in person. I sympathize with the old men in the video because some of them seem lonely. Even though they are entertained by their lives, they still don't have much human contact. The most fascinating person to me was the man who collected possums and turtles to sell. I thought it was interesting because he put all the animals in the same box and then sold them for a legitimate amount of money. If I had a camera pointed at me right now I would tell a story about an accident I've had in the past.
ReplyDelete1. I think Errol Morris made this film to show life in small towns and how people spend their time.
ReplyDelete2. This film shows how oblivious we are of the people around us and their daily lives. We live in a bubble and because of this bubble we don't realize how the rest of the country lives.
3. I thought it was interesting how people would buy possums for 1200-1500 dollars, I have honestly never heard of such a thing.
4. I empathize with their passion about turkey hunting and collecting random animals because when you truly have a passion about something you always want to do it.
5. I sympathize with these people because i truly don't think they are aware of the world around them. It doesn't seem like they get out much and if they do, I can assure you they don't leave their small town.
6. The turkey hunter was the most fascinating to me because I found it extremely odd that after he killed the turkey he would hang the feet and beard of the turkey on the wall. And on top of that he was funny, he reminded me of Larry the Cable Guy.
7. I would probably talk about my trip to Nicaragua.
He made the film to try and figure out if they were making false insurance claims because in that small town a lot of people were injuring themselves. It says that in Florida a small town a lot of strange things were happening. I find it interesting that a possum can go for a lot of money down there then anywhere else. I empathize with the citizens their because it seems like they do not get much exposure to the outside world and me being always pretty much caged in my room I can see how they feel. I feel sorry for the town's folk because it seems like nothing every really happens down there at all. Each and every role in the town by the people is taken notice automatically because it is so small. The man who caught the possum because he was not scared of it and how much he said it cost. I really would not tell a story of my personal life at all, but maybe one of my school day routine since I am at school. Some people say that loose lips sinks ships and this is what the movie reminds me of because those people just keep babbling and not realizing that they gave themselves away.
ReplyDeleteFG
1. Errol Morris made this film to reveal the bizarre residents of Vernon, Florida.
ReplyDelete2. This film shows that everyone in the world is different. After watching this film, I realized that I do not know much about the world around me.
3. I found it interesting that I learned so much about the various people in the film even though Errol Morris did not ask a single question. Morris simply turned the camera on and the people just started talking.
4.I empathize with the guy that hunts turkeys. He is so passionate about what he enjoys doing and I am the same way with the things that I enjoy.
5. I sympathize with all of the people involved in this film; they seem so lost and unaware of the world around them.
6. The most fascinating person to me was the old guy who had the opossum. He was so fascinated with the opossum; and he was planning on selling it for thousands of dollars.
7. If i had a camera pointed on me right now, I would probably talk about my time in Israel.
MZ
Well-done entries! Very detailed, and very interesting empathy entries. Thank you!
ReplyDelete1. He made the film to show the differences between what our version of America is and what theres is.
ReplyDelete2. The film showed the parody between people. It showed me that not everyone is like me.
3. I liked the morris used a very hands off approach to the interviews.
4. My empathy goes out to the turkey hunter. Poor guy likes those things way more than I like anything.
5. I sympathize with the possum guy. His life is not good.
6. The entire town fascinated me equally.
7. I don't know what I'd say; probably some bs I didn't mean.
Zs