Media Event: The Prison in Twelve Landscapes

For one of my media events I chose to go to the viewing and discussion of the Prison in Twelve Landscapes. This film shows the cruel realities of mass incarceration in America, and how those outside of prison are effected by it. In the film, Brett Story, a Canadian female director, chooses not to go into prisons, but rather explore how incarceration effects those living in society; those who have been to prison or have a relative, friend, or significant other locked up. To me, one of the most effective lessons from this film is that she never goes inside of a prison, but rather takes a closer look into the effect that prisons have on society. This film goes into very detailed events, from riots in Detroit to people in Washington Square Park, Story uses these narratives to tell a larger story: the ugly truth about mass incarceration. She goes as far as explaining how presidential agendas and even how large corporations add to the evolution of the incarceration issue in the United States.

Overall, Story utilizes various film techniques to share her message. From scratched up music to extreme close ups, Story makes the viewer feel uncomfortable, as speaking about this topic can often be. However, the most effective technique is her use of interviews. In the interviews we hear stories about past inmates, letters from inmates themselves, relatives or friends of inmates, and even representatives of Quicken Loans. These interviews serve as hard evidence of the brutal effects mass incarceration on the rest of society. I had a chance to ask Story about any advice she had on giving interviews, and she replied with, "People like to feel like they matter. They like it when people show interest in them." As a filmmaker, I have taken this advice into consideration, and as a result of doing interviews myself, I have had the pleasure of realizing how true that statement is. People like to be heard, and that is exactly what Story does in her film. She gives those that aren't usually heard, a voice.