Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Redemption" is an American 35-minute documentary short film from 2013, so this one will have its 5th anniversary next year. For the two directors Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, this is their second collaboration that was nominated for an Oscar. While the first takes place at the other end of the world, this one here depicts a domestic tragedy. It focuses on the men and women in New York city who are forced to collect returnable bottles and cans to make a living. The most depressing thing is that this is the western world here where it happens, that part of the world that is supposed to be rich enough to offer its citizens a dignified existence. But it is not the case. The one reason why I enjoyed this one so much and why it hit so close to home is because I live in Berlin, a European metropolis, and the issue is the exact same here. You see people, especially senior citizens all the time collecting bottles as their pension is simply not big enough to grant them an existence without an additional income. I think it really is so sad.Anyway, back to the focus here: The people in the center of this documentary all seem to be nice and honorable human beings, which makes it fairly depressing to see them do what they have to do. To me, it is so degrading, especially when the really fight for a few cents, and I really hope I will never get into a situation like that. And those who aren't gentle probably changed because of their "profession" for the worse. The woman near the end who wants a better like for her children is as heartbreaking as most other scenes during these 35 minutes. It's a film that should really shake us up, but it probably won't because honestly the fact how few people saw it and how difficult it is to get a hand on it makes it pretty difficult to get its message through. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend this one. Highly and you don't want to miss out here. One of 2013's most touching, short and long.