"Burma VJ"
(2008, Anders Ostergaard, Denmark)
Average Contributor Rating:

“Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country” (to use the film’s full title) is a documentary about, well, the Burma VJs, a bunch of reporters filming the Burmese student and monk protests of 2007. They were the biggest of their kind in Burma since 1988, when thousands of students took to the streets in attempts to, as Rage Against the Machine would say, take the power back, from the oppressive military government who rule them. However, almost twenty years ago, three thousand students were shot and the leaders of the protests locked up. And so, rebelling against such a hard line government leaves the risk of losing your life.

I (along with my father, who watched it with me) am very much the audience of this film; someone who knows very little about the situation in Burma, or the plight that the people of it are going through. And the documentary is very, very efficient in telling the story in a way that is both informative and interesting. It gets its points across well, obviously being that people like myself and – more importantly – people with the power to do something about it, should recognize just how important the problems are over there. It’s really an awareness film, made to bring attention to a subject that is relatively unknown to those who aren’t politically aware, especially when compared to more domestic issues like Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, those with a good understanding of the problems in Burma will not really find any insight into the situation, past an underused voiceover from one of the leaders of the VJs, here known as ‘Joshua’. What they will find, though, is an extremely riveting and entertaining film that works just as well as a narrative piece as it does a documentary. I don’t know if it’s right to reduce this film, which obvious tackles some important and controversial issues head on, to the status of a narrative piece that succeeds for its entertainment value, but that’s part of the allure. It’s not one of those documentaries that you watch because it’s interesting, it’s one that will pull you in from the start and actually enthral you, using a plot structure with entertaining, riveting sequences split up with pauses for thought. Although it will certainly be educational and interesting for those that have limited knowledge of the protests, it will – in turn – feel a little like walking through the motions that those who do, but it’s good to know that it does have an extra dimension to it.

It’s also a very powerful film, and the impact of its message will hit both experts and novices alike. The scenes in which the monks first take up the cause, deciding to march through the cities of Burma, drumming up support for the students and the VJs, are actually quite inspiring and haunting, too. It’s a moment of true human resolute, where the viewer can believe that – even in a country that is down-trodden by an oppressive government and a violent regime – there is always some good to be found [/cliché]. What is more amazing, though, is the stout defiance, even after monks are attacked and killed and monasteries are raided, shown through the marches of the monks than continue, day after day after day. It’s a true triumph of the human spirit, which works as to both laud the heroism of the monks and amplify the villainy (and, in fact, the cowardice) of the military.

Ostergaard uses footage, primarily, actually shot in Burma by the VJs, doesn’t only add a gritty realism to proceedings (most of it is shot on low quality handheld digital cameras), but it also puts you right in the film and allows you to imagine – if it’s even possible to imagine – the kind of situations that these reporters had to work on. Not only are they risking their lives for a cause, they are also doing it for their art, creating some truly memorable shots that show them off as more than just news cameramen. The most inspiring scene in the film also features the best shot, as the camera pans up a tall building, showing the supporting crowds before panning slowly to the sky. It’s a beautiful shot that perfectly captures a beautiful, inspiring moment. Perhaps the weakest moments in the film are the stylish, static, re-created shots of Joshua and of the early meetings with other VJs, but I guess they are needed, not only to remain informative but also to remain coherent. By and large, it’s a perfectly captured film, using real-life footage to give it tangible terror.

I would certainly recommend “Burma VJ” as an early contender for the Best Documentary feature, but it works best when it bridges the gap between a documentary and a dramatic, narrative film. It’s thrilling, riveting, and really quite powerful, much like “Man on Wire” was last year, and is certainly one of the most intriguing and powerful films released so far this year.. JB.
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