#cannibal tours

[annaoisk]

A diary entry for Cannibal Tours (1988)

A diary entry for Cannibal Tours (1988)

[feebls]

Cannibal Tours (1988)

[feebls]

Cannibal Tours (1988)

[omgreb-blog1]

Feb 9

[wwwire]

Cannibal Tours (documentary film, 1988) dir. Dennis O’Rourke

[50into50]

30. Cannibal Tours (1988) – Dennis O'Rourke

[docudeb]

Maybe I'm out in left field with this, but I do feel like O'Rourke is dehumanizing the (white) subjects of his film as a means of drawing a clear parallel to how his subjects dehumanize the locals.  Am I okay with this?  I don't know.  I definitely think a lot of the subjects in this film are jerks and I would like to think that I'm "different" or "better" than them, but then here I am, sitting here from my own throne of self-righteousness. 

Can I pass judgment on these people when I, too, come from a place of privilege?  More specifically I'm referring the privilege of my education that has enlightened me on topics of which I used to be ignorant.

Either way, the film made me uncomfortable, and that's something I can say for certain.  Which I'm sure was the intention.

[docudeb]

So many documentary films, despite other political and cultural pretensions, primarily serve to make the audience feel good - feel part of an enlightened elite - as though they have achieved some cachet or absolution for themselves by the simple act of watching a film. And it follows that the audience identifies with their omniscient hero, the film maker.

Dennis O'Rourke