My point being, Watson could have constructed his Documentary in a more ethical way (probably without capturing the outstanding footage he managed to get) or could have been completely unethical by being dominantly intrusive and not taking into consideration personal boundaries, I do believe he has balanced these to an acceptable standard. francescamancini88. After watching this documentary i get shock of the people shown. I personally feel that Paul Watson did not exploit his subjects in the film. I found a video called, Revisiting Rain in My Heart, in which Paul Watson revisits the surviving subjects from the film. However, i was impressed by this documentary. However, that would ruin his fly on the wall style of filmmaking. Thus, having the camera in front of them made me feel that there was a sense of pressure on them to fulfil a certain image of an alcoholic. This bereavement card features rain only over a tree with a figuring sitting beneath it. The decision to include this part of Vandas drunk dialogue is one that is certainly questionable, especially since we are not given evidence as to whether or not she did consent to the inclusion once sober. The question of the ethics of filmmaking is clearly something that is troubling to Watson. Raining in My Heart Lyrics The sun is out The sky is blue There's not a cloud To spoil the view But it's raining Raining In My Heart The Weather Man Says "Clear today" He doesn't know You've. This was mostly due to the fact that obviously he was filming people with huge vulnerability in their lives, therefore he was careful not to portray the situation as taking advantage of. The subjects and the families were happy to be filmed and it was unlikely that the film was going to bring more harm than good it was important that he looked at the whole picture and the awareness he could spread with such a film. As a viewer, it was uncomfortable to watch Watson try and stay professional. Currently, Penny Parker's life was great. A good example of his moral doubts is when he asks himself Am I an ambulance chaser? and is a clear way of showing how documentary makers may react with barely contained glee when they get material of extreme situation that can make good TV I do not think Paul Watson exploited his subjects exposed their life, yes, but exploited I feel is perhaps a little harsh. Or when Nigel downs a glass of red wine. Then again, as Watson argues: If some of us dont record it, none of us will know about it.. Overall were the subjects happy to be on film? This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson follows four alcohol abusers over the course of a year. It is hard to be objective about this film because it is so easily relatable to me, I live equidistant from Medway hospital and Maidstone hospital, and most people avoid Medway because of its reputation. Also just to confirm Gillingham is a pretty shitty place to grow up in, so the documentary comes across as very sincere. This for me was an awkward introduction to have with a subject you are going to see go through an emotional and dark period. But all of these elements and attitudes of the filmmaker were performed in order to achieve a result of what alcoholism really is and of how serious and dangerous its consequences can be. Alluding to the culture of exploitning woman, as well as Spielbergs film being a commercial (and one which ends with a very colourful, affirming ending) intent makes it a machine absording actresses and horrors for the output of satisfying drama. I also at times found it hard to watch due to the harsh reality of the subjects lives. It is true that there are not many cut ins of his own questioning however Watson thought it be inappropriate to constantly show his own personal struggles when his subjects are undergoing way more traumatic psychological illnesses. From a documentarians point of view, Watson did a remarkable job of exploring the brutality of a taboo subject, but from a moral standpoint, the filmmaker may not have been exploitative in his actions but he was definitely extreme. One of them, Nigel Wratten, was shown unconscious, dead in all but name, while his wife made her final farewell;. Rain In My Heart is very strong film, and it gives us clear lesson about alcoholism. Frank SinatraCycles 1968 Frank Sinatra Enterprises, LLCReleased on: 1990-01-01Producer: Don C. It affected me emotionally and made me understand what an alcoholics reasons might be for drinking, and sometimes it might not just be that they want a drink. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7140605.stm. Watson chooses subjects based on their deadly addictions to alcohol, an integral part to the film. This is the only area where I can see possible wrongdoing on Watsons behalf. Yes it does raise awareness, and the documentary was good, however, to feel taken back is not the sort of emotion one should try to evoke. I didnt expect Rain in my Hearts to emotionally affect me as much as it did, though we were warned. Want to save money? Rain In My Heart raises many ethical issues as a documentary yet highlights many health and social issues current in our society. Yes it is a devastating subject matter and yes the emotions that should arise in audiences should be just as devastating. (2006). The latest Arizona headlines, breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, and local community stories that matter to you. The fact that it was all staged, distances the audience from the idea of a documentary as most believe that it must be as real as possible. I feel as though Watson was trying to be as ethical as possible, baring in mind his need to capture this shocking footage in order to create the Documentary. It was arguably and subtly manipulative how he often said would you like to carry on? as he was probably aware that the answer would be yes due to the state of the interviewees. The subject is not exploited as she has consented Watson to film her in her most tragic state and all of this psychological revealing is not only for Watsons own good but for the audience as they are being warned off the overuse of alcohol. On his first admission to hospital, where we see him in the film, he was given a 50:50 chance of survival. Rain In My Heart is not an easy documentary to watch. The edit involves numerous repeats of dialogue from the patients, which is played at random and juxtaposing episodes, some even without the visuals which make it seem part of the dialogue (for example, when Vanda slams the phone down in anger). When researching the film I found a web page (which is a old BBC one). This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson provides a raw account of four alcohol abusers from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. Because Paul Watson deliberately interviews them after they are drunk. The film probably brought him a lot of attention (both positive and negative), which means hes profited from filming his subjects problems. She then replies with a smirk, Obviously. Rain in My Heart I thought was a very dark, powerful and hard hitting documentary. BBC - Rain in My Heart Watch now This powerful documentary from fly-on-the-wall pioneer Paul Watson provides a raw account of four alcohol abusers from the impoverished Medway towns of north. It deals with a very sensitive issue that affects everyone from viewer to the family of the alcoholics that were taking part in the film. I personally believe that the word exploit is quite a harsh word to put on the filmmaker without full justification, its made clear that the subjects wanted to be filmed, Watson treats this permission with a good amount of respect both for the subjects and the topic of the documentary whilst at the same time sustaining his role as the stand back and sympathetic-ear presence. A prime example of exploitation was the most vulnerable and interesting subject-Vanda. I feel that to say Watson exploits his subjects within the film is unfair. For someone to say that Watson exploited the people in the film is to say that he harmed them in some way, which I dont think he did. He never appeared to be controlling or interregative in a dominant sense, he remained calm when interviewing his subjects and took their replies without expresing his personal opinion. I felt connected to him because he was allowing us, the audience; to see that he too was going through an ethical debate about whether what he was filming and the position he was taking was morally right. Although it could be argued that this footage is showing Vanda what she is like when she is drunk, I would say that her answers might have been different if she was sober when she was asked them. June 27, 2015 by webadmin Watch on YouTube Watch on Brilliant, unflinching documentary on alcoholism by Kent film maker Paul Watson. Change). Rain in my Heart Documentary which follows four alcohol abusers - Vanda, aged 43; Mark, 29; Nigel, 49 and Toni, 26 - from the impoverished Medway towns of north Kent. He does however, tell her that he will ask her when she is sober if she wants to keep that in. It is clear to me throughout, both when talking to his subjects and when talking to the camera itself that he becomes both emotionally involved and also continuously checks that he is keeping to his promises. In this process, the audience can get more understanding about the characters and theme. However, I do not think that Watson intentionally tried to exploit his subjects. Even though there is not exact evidence of Kath saying this to Watson, I believe that if she had thought differently the scene would be cut out since it is such a dramatic and personal event. I also think that it is not Pauls fault that these people after having a huge amount of alcohol could not control themselves: their speech, actions and emotions. The fact that two of participants died during filming is grim testimony to the illness of alcoholism. Another was "drinking less" but needed a Zimmer frame with which to walk; she's 43. After drinking heavily, people are definitely not in a normal status, which lead to a question that in what situation Paul Watson get the consent from these alcoholics. A prediction such as this can alter the way she behaves and this documentary is no longer just an observation of her progress. Nigel, 49, has been dry for ten years, but the damage he has inflicted on his liver is irreversible. Although, there are several moments when this filmmaker and subject relationship is close to breach, he retains his role of confidentiality and recognizes that the subject may not be too sober to make such ethical decisions of what they would like in the final cut or not. Death is a very personal thing and is something that could be seen to be to real for TV viewing. I feel like Rain in My Heart must be a controversial documentray in terms of how dealing with the ethics in this film. Perhaps the strong emotional shocked felt from watching it is more to do with fearing our own mortality. Of the four, two die whilst in hospital and a third dies within five . Whats exploitation? In the moment where Vanda passes out from over drinking, and we see Watson check her pulse, to me I felt as if he was concerned, he didnt sit back and observe her in a blackened out state, he checked on her, he was her responsibility at that moment. As an audience member I am conflicted as to how satisfied I am with how Watson deals with accusations about him exploiting the audience. So I guess Im not satisfied with his attempts to explain himself during the film, but only because I think he didnt need to in the first place. I would not have the heavens fair, - My Last Drunk Home About Us Alcohol Abuse Affects Your Health Alcohol Abuse Affects Others My Last Drunk Alcohol Abuse Rain in my Heart (Full). Filmed over the course of a year, Paul Watson's camera follows them from Gillingham . Paul Watson has a lot to answer for (The Family probably started the reality trend) but Rain in my Heart made up for a lot. This allowed the subjects to be themselves around him as Mark said that he didnt hide his bottle of wine from Watson and the camera because this is what the film is all about. An example being Vanda and the way he gets to know her and in the end explores her painful past. I can understand how to other viewers, this film may be seen as a breach to ethics within filmmaking, with how Watson gets so close with his vulnerable subjects, however, I feel that Watsons approach is what makes this film such a powerful observation. The subjects had all agreed to be filmed but the thought of switching the camera off and helping must have been fairly strong. Is this the feel good factor we crave? She was healing. Troubled Toni, 26, merely laughs at warnings that continued drinking will mean death. He also gained the trust of his subjects to the extent that Vanda confined in him regarding her abuse as a child, and Nigels wife wanting Watson to be there when she said goodbye to him. I do not believe that Paul Watson was dealing with the accusations successfully, but I also do not believe that he was making this film completely selfishly. I feel he mistakes this forced friendliness by asking more and more personal questions as he continues to film her. My DF was a chronic alcoholic (who died after eventually committing suicide) and I grew up with my parents while social circle being people in AA and Al-anon so maybe it was less of a shock to me as I've seen most of this first hand. (LogOut/ Therefore, i dont feel uncomfortable for his attempts within the film. It quotes how Vanda told Paul Youre asking me while Im pickled in reference to his questions, as well as youre manipulating me. Critics also believe that the tragic scene of when Nigel dies in front of the camera is too much to be shown to the public eye and that he took full advantage of the emotional situation for his own benefit. Although this had a huge dramatic effect upon the viewer and it allowed the viewer to analyse the particular situation multiple times, I felt that Paul Watson was portraying them as if they were less in control of what they were saying, almost as if they were crazy. That we cant see others be in such a position because we wouldnt want ourselves to be shown in such a state. To clarify, I dont think hes exploiting anyone in this film. Thus exploiting their vulnerability to further push their weakness and end up with footage that will strike the audiences attention and maybe even get better ratings. In order to inform and have an impact on the audience, enough to make them think before undergoing any dangerous activity illustrated in the documentary, the use of empathy is crucial. 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