Post by Peter on Oct 30, 2011 0:56:34 GMT 10
Yesterday, Paul Poet's documentary film Empire Me was presented at the International Festival of Documentary Films in Jihlava, Czech Republic. I was unfortunately unable to attend the projection but I found a short review written by a respected critic Kamil Fila. I think that as a person apparently never affected by micronationalism, his opinion is quite interesting. Here is my clumsy translation of the key part of the text:
(...) Those rather screwed-up personalities do not content themselves with arranging a sci-fi con, with weekend fencing near some ruins in the trees, with founding an own museum, internet discussion board, or a standard sect, or with building a family flat in the cellar – in the way other decent people do it. Out of spite, they must have their own country. Paul Poet apparently sympathizes with last two communities presented: A community professing free love and exploring the limits of erotics, and a group of some kind of free circus clowns sailing on the utopian “ship of fools” through Venice.
My final impression of the film was that it was about people who want to get rid of somebody else’s rules and limits IN ORDER TO be able to create the limits and nonsense orders of their own. Indeed, the final clause is used here to show a purpose. Maybe I am too harsh, maybe I am not sensitive enough to the otherness and just use this text to needlessly incite the reader what to think.
Nevertheless, I believe that readers can think whatever they want but they will understand from my rejection that the thing that bothers me is not the independence and unrestraint of the people shown in this film. It is rather the fact that in case of many, their defiant gesture is nothing more than escapism and the inability to cope with the world which has been given to us. Simply put, their revolt is not redeemed by work or willingness to communicate better with others – they just make it easier for themselves. Otherwise, they are rather egoists or (near) autistics.
(...) Those rather screwed-up personalities do not content themselves with arranging a sci-fi con, with weekend fencing near some ruins in the trees, with founding an own museum, internet discussion board, or a standard sect, or with building a family flat in the cellar – in the way other decent people do it. Out of spite, they must have their own country. Paul Poet apparently sympathizes with last two communities presented: A community professing free love and exploring the limits of erotics, and a group of some kind of free circus clowns sailing on the utopian “ship of fools” through Venice.
My final impression of the film was that it was about people who want to get rid of somebody else’s rules and limits IN ORDER TO be able to create the limits and nonsense orders of their own. Indeed, the final clause is used here to show a purpose. Maybe I am too harsh, maybe I am not sensitive enough to the otherness and just use this text to needlessly incite the reader what to think.
Nevertheless, I believe that readers can think whatever they want but they will understand from my rejection that the thing that bothers me is not the independence and unrestraint of the people shown in this film. It is rather the fact that in case of many, their defiant gesture is nothing more than escapism and the inability to cope with the world which has been given to us. Simply put, their revolt is not redeemed by work or willingness to communicate better with others – they just make it easier for themselves. Otherwise, they are rather egoists or (near) autistics.