Ma Vie En Mole

By Nichole Seitz
Contributing Writer

The Fargo Film Festival has come to a close. Throughout the film festival, downtown Fargo was abuzz with the activity. Daily luncheons, panel discussions, pre and post parties and, of course, the films themselves, brought new life to the area for the week. 

Everyone involved with the production of the film, from directors to people featured in the films, has vacated the Fargo-Moorhead area. All that remains from the event are memories that attendees have and my Moleskine film journal used to document the experience.

In between viewing films, attending one pre-party and interviewing a few directors, it is safe to say that I have enough material to fill a decent amount of the spaces in my journal. In the brief moments before the film would start rolling, I quickly filled out basic information about the film (the title, director, year it was made, where I saw it, etc.). Although it was dark inside the theater, I tried to scribble down as many notes about the films as I could. This proved to be helpful to me later as I wrote my review of each film and gave them a rating.

I happened to attend the festival on, what the executive director of the Fargo Theatre Margie Bailly, called “disease night”. The documentaries, “Under Our Skin”, which focuses on Lyme disease, and “Thicker Than Water”, which focuses on a boy from White Bear Lake, Minn., with hemophilia, showcase the struggles of people battling these diseases.

“Under Our Skin” was far more interesting and complex that it sounded. The film humanized the disease and really addresses the need for better health care. It is sad to see that doctors argue against information that has been published because of financial interests they have backing them. There is a rift between doctors regarding Lyme disease. From the way to test it to how to treat it, doctors tied to insurance companies and companies that make products dealing with Lyme disease have clouded judgment when compared to doctors working without that financial backing.

Andy Abrahams Wilson, the director of the movie, said his main motivation behind making the film was a “curiosity for trying to understand what’s going on under our skin.” During a Q&A session after the film was screened he also stated that he, like many others that attended the film, knows someone that has the disease.

The second film, “Thicker Than Water”, was a slower moving film, which wasn’t very enjoyable until the end. The film did a great job at introducing information piece by piece and let the story unfold in time. It is not until the end of the film that I realized that the movie was actually better than I thought. Bradley Rappa, the cinematographer and director of the film, focused on his nephew and how he tries to live a normal life despite having hemophilia. The film also unfolds to show how Rappa’s sister-in-law and nephew were battled chronic illness.

I never realized the film-going experience would include this type of education. I really had a chance to capture my feelings on the deeper issues included in these films by journaling.

With all of the activities surrounding the film festival there were plenty of opportunities to take pictures. From the snow sculpture outside of the theatre to the art deco style on the inside, my journal is full of photos that document my experience, hope you like my selection. Including these photos is going to help me remember and revisit my experiences years from now and journaling will allow me to cherish these memories for years to come.

Armed with my handy, dandy notebook I am eager to see what next year’s festival has in store.

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