90 minute Save the Children Commercial
What's the difference between this film and your average depressing Save the Children-type commercial?
I suppose if you watched it and then commented, you'd find out.
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MovieChat Forums > I Am Because We Are (2009) Discussion > 90 minute Save the Children Commercial
i would assume an inside look at the real plight that is going on
shareThe only thing this is an insight to, is the immense ego of Madonna.
sharejust because you're not doing sh*t for the poverty around the world doesn't mean you have to be such a negative nancy. besides, if a self-feeding ego is what it takes to generate millions of dollars for donations to these kinds of things, so be it.
shareYou obviously haven't seen the movie if you think that. She's hardly in it.
shareThe film is so dumbed down I actually had a hard time deciding wether to walk and and get my money back (money I do spend on *real* charities like Amnesty and Doctors without borders) or stick around and see how many more of those clichèd "lets hold hands and be friends"-quotes she'd manage to throw around in the painstaking 90 minutes this took to get through.
The film is nothing short of an insult to people who *do* follow something more challenging than the voice of Darth Vader proclaiming that this is CNN or, or hey, maybe you prefer Rupert and the Fox-blokes, and not only that; it even talks down to people who don't know squat about Africa, Malawi or Our church of enabling mass murder.
Madonna may not be in it much. However, she did write and narrate it. Meaning, she's responsible for most of what goes on in front of the camera. And if this is her idea of how we can help Malawi in a precarious and hopelessly desperate situation, I'm jumping ship right this minute.
That's too harsh. There were good parts, such as the expert analysis from economist Jeffrey Sachs, etc. But yes, it often felt like a Save the Children infomercial. I don't think Madonna could be an iconic pop singer unless she genuinely felt things deeply. Sometimes that depth of passion can seem melodramatic in other contexts.
There really were a lot of heartbreaking sequences. As there are in Save the Children infomercials.
Save the Children commercials implore you to send money and imply that by doing so you can make a difference. This documentary did not pretend to have any answers. It did not oversimplify the situation the way a Save the Children commercial can do. It simply intended to make people aware of the situation so that they can find their own answers. And it fulfilled that intent admirably.
shareYou know, I have to say that I get the impression Madonna went OUT OF HER WAY not to make this movie about herself in anyway that gets her attention.
She clearly cared about this for altruistic reasons.
I have to confess I was also expecting "your average depressing Save the Children-type commercial", but I was gladly surprised on how powerful the material is, and how effective the narrative was. There is no oversimplification, no good vs evil, no easy answers, no cheap manipulation... and it is truly quite insightful... You should first see the film before making such a harsh judgment...
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