Treasured Moments 2016
Distributed by Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 50 Fitzroy St., London W1T 5BT =44 (0) 20 7387 0455
Produced by Heather Merrill, John Lloyd, Akio Lloyd
Directed by Ravi Hart
DVD, color, 33 min., English with English captions
High School - General Adult
African Americans, Experimental Film, Race Relations
Date Entered: 02/02/2018
Reviewed by James Gordon, University at Buffalo LibrariesThis is the story of a mixed race man who was born on the British island of Anguilla, and his family. It is a narrated, illustrated essay read in the first person. Our story teller grew up with white people. When a hurricane knocked out power for six months, he moved to the USA with his wife and encountered a society that is the opposite of that on Anguilla. He felt uncomfortable—as if he did not belong. In Aguilla, he was yellow. In the USA, he was black. He and is family learn to cope by “code switching” as they travel to and from the USA. Police are an issue.
The format of this movie is unusual in that it is a narrated slide show. The pace is deliberately slow, which might be a turn-off to some viewers. Others may find the effect enhances the presentation.
Treasured Moments is appropriate for people interested in and for classes that cover Black Lives Matter, race relations, discrimination, and migration. The economic and social effects of storm damage and slow recovery are pivotal in this narrative.