By far one of my favorite screenings at Cucalorus, Looking for Ms. Locklear had all of the elements of a fun, light-hearted movie anyone could hope for. The film was about these two filmmakers, Rhett and Link, who met in the first grade. They've been best friends ever since the first day of class when they got in trouble, and Ms. Locklear made them stay in from recess. Rather than looking her up with the internet, the pair chose to make a documentary about finding her using face to face contact only. They start at their old elementary school and use word of mouth to figure out their next step until they eventually find Ms. Locklear. I thought the concept for the film was genius, and as for the content, you couldn't write this stuff.
There was one guy in the film who was unbelievable, and I loved loved loved the way in which Rhett and Link edited his footage. This guy, I think his name was Clayton, lives in whatever county in North Carolina that Pembroke can be found. During the Q&A session, the two filmmakers explained that everyone they talked to in the county tried to send them his way, so eventually they went knocking on his door. He had a thick country accent and ridiculous facial expression, not to mention some awesome barefoot tap-dancing moves. At one point he mentions that his dog had a litter of ten puppies, so they should hop in the truck, drive around giving the puppies to people and asking if anyone knows a Ms. Locklear. I mean, you really couldn’t write a character like him, and the way they presented him in the film was outstanding. One minute, he’s saying something ridiculous while the audience laughs at his expense, and then the next Clayton surprises you by saying something so personal and honest, leaving you with this beautiful, heartfelt sentiment. I really felt like the film went beyond the humorous and immersed the audience into a these people’s lives, making you care about them and their stories on a much deeper level.
This documentary was a complete and utter 180 from the one I watched about two hours before on Friday. I went to see Pray the Devil Back to Hell, which was about the women of Liberia banding together to stop the civil war in their country. As you can guess, the mood of the film was not exactly light, and put me in kind of a strange place afterwards. I definitely got a big dose of reality, realizing just how minuscule my problems are on the grand scale, so being able to watch a film like Looking for Ms. Locklear, was a great turnaround for the day.
Pray the Devil Back to Hell was truly an inspiring film, though. It’s a documentary about Christian and Muslim women living in Liberia during their last civil war. They band together to force both the current government and the rebels to attend the international peace talks held by the UN. The film follows the women through years of struggle, showing footage of child soldiers, the women’s meetings, the peace talks, etc. I thought it was so interesting how a lot of the older footage (clearly before the filming of the documentary had begun), was visibly shot with a consumer grade camera, keeping its authenticity. Otherwise I probably would have been wondering what was captured in the moment and what was re-shot as a dramatization.
The testimonials of the women leading the movement were also unforgettable. Their stories had such heartache and they lived in such unbelievable terror from both the rebels and the government that it made their victory that much sweeter in the end for themselves and the audience. I didn’t know anything about this film beside the blurb on cucalorus’ website, so for me it was amazing to walk into a film with no expectations, and walk out with a new sense of determination. These women had no power other than the will to change, and they did what no one else had succeeded in before them. Leaders from around the world couldn’t bring these two groups together, and the rebels and the government didn’t care about the people, they just wanted money and power. Without these women, I don’t know if anything would have changed very much in the past few years.
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