WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
When on the surface it appears everything is, or already has come to, falling apart, do you have the strength to stand up and make the most of what now is, and be HAPPY about it? We tend to lose sight at times in this country of exactly HOW blessed we are to have ALL that we do and hence take for granted more than remain thankful. At least that’s how it seems IF we’re being honest with ourselves. When hearing about others in FAR more poorer states of being than we will ever be experiencing JOY in just being ALIVE, having sincere gratitude for the small numbers of things they do, and strive to HELP others in spite of their own apparent lack–kind of humbling. For Laos-born Art, his life existing on and in the beachfront parks of Santa Barbara, one would surmise, is anything but a place of contentment. But, this is where you would be incorrect. Even with the challenges his “homelessness” has, Art is a genuinely happy man overall. Here, we allow him to tell his story.
Next, my Mind:
There is never, and I do mean NEVER, any doubt or REASON to doubt the awareness-raising, socially conscious, adamantly insistent, persuasive nature of the documentary shorts created by prolific indie filmmaker Stacey Stone and her longstanding collaborator Diane Mellen and the associated quest this critic always feels is present to ensure one elements is likewise ALWAYS delivered–blunt truth. With this newest effort, the respective director/editor and the executive producer venture into territory that is familiar in grander scope to another recent project, “Kenny” (reviewed here), yet decidedly different in the portraits of homelessness they both portray, even while mutually sharing at least one commonality–the overall pleasant and unexpectedly fulfilled demeanor both film’s subjects exude. I say “unexpected” in that both men have completely moved away from the trappings of what most would wish to call “normalcy” and instead embraced a much more simple life, yet one that has allowed them to have BETTER acknowledgement and regard for what they CHOOSE to have and LEARN from their self-imposed circumstances.
Now, for Art, this decision to live the way he does was born from originally coming to the U.S. from Laos to be a technician, and then eventually a carpenter, but found that in order to TRULY live his life, he had to be simpler, as otherwise continuing on was in question, possible even impossible. For health, for sanity, for the ability to just function, choices had to be made, and Art has pursued this with everything he is and has, to his betterment. This is one of the core messages I felt he was bringing to bear, that we can tend to either work so hard or exist in a manner that is so overtly stressful that it could end up damaging us rather than allowing us to be the BEST we can be, and if this doesn’t explain and/or expose so much of what IS happening to people in this country, and the world, currently, especially in the ongoing wake of COVID-19’s impact in 2020, I am not sure what does. It’s ok to strive to be well off in whatever forms you might decide, but yet if achieving it ends up doing more harm than good, for you AND the others around you, then what IS the point of chasing it?
Art’s explanation of how he is alone all the time, yet NOT because of the people all around him every day, some of whom have helped him, and even those who never have, he feels the perceived companionship they represent, and this also is a hugely missing piece of today’s society. We are so stuck in what our OWN lives are about, and what we can do to serve ONLY that, we therefore tend to LOSE sight of even just being cordial to our fellow human beings around us, much less offering to be a help to those who need it, etc. The perspective Art also brings to the interview here is how even when you aren’t actually doing anything, there’s still opportunity to LEARN from what’s around us, even the smallest of things, whether objects we do possess or nature itself, it all contains its own “rhythm” and facets we can glean things from–IF we’re willing to SLOW DOWN and LET it have an effect on us. Art’s battle with A.D.D. has perhaps even magnified this thankfulness for always having the openness to learn in this way, and it fills you with a strange joy to listen to HIS adoration, and endorsement, of it.
Additionally, the realities of street life are not remotely lost on Art, who explains the hardest times are when it rains or having made the wrong choice of spots to spend the night outside and encountering the assault of MICE who come out in droves. Hence, this might be now why he always aims to sleep under a light! He thinks on his parents, whom he hasn’t seen in a long time since the few times they ever visited, and also on his 20-something daughter. Even the things like where he might choose to grab a shower, or what thing he might find that daily wisdom in, plus his aforementioned memory and thoughts on his own family and his parents, it all forms this tapestry of one man’s reality that still speaks resoundingly TO the greater plight of the homeless in this country, a country of PLENTY, yet it seems like a country UNCARING. This is NOT stating that sense is a universal feeling applied to ALL residents of our nation, but it IS to call out boldly those who perhaps have particularly adept and/or available means to HELP out with issues like homelessness, and also GAIN some needed insight to what really IS important in this life.
So, in total, “Art” stands as another of Stone & Co.’s patented approaches to offer candid but valid truths about issues they are passionate for while presenting these in a manner that is always engaging and undeniably human. With Art’s story, we see not some derelict person, but a MAN, and an immigrant as well, who has made the decisions he has in order to better himself yet not seem a burden to anyone else. He makes it a point to state that “people will come and go, but the person you really got to help out is yourself”. What makes that impactful is that it isn’t selfishness he’s presenting, but another fact that if others WON’T step up to help, and just be there only when perhaps it might even suit only them, they you have to watch out for you in this scenario or face being hurt or put out to the benefit of someone else. It’s a scary actuality to conceive, but look around this world now and say it isn’t unfolding like this. Therefore, how about we REVERSE the trend, BE there FOR one another, MUTUALLY benefit from it, and CHANGE the WORLD?? I mean, THAT would be nothing short of what this documentary really is at its core–inspirational.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
