Ethical Review: BE KIND, REWIND

Originally submitted by: barcode 2x

In a world where the independent business is devoured by large corporations, where neighborhoods are demolished for condominiums, where technology evolves faster than the average consumer can use it, there is [i]Be Kind, Rewind[/i]. This is lighter fare, a nice change from the Sturm and Drang films of 2007. Yet despite its whimsical tone, this film has quite a lot to say.

This small movie from writer/director Michel Gondry [i](The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)[/i] tells the story of Jerry (Jack Black), who attempts to sabotage the nearby power plant which he believes is sending dangerous microwaves into his mind. He is electrocuted in the process, and becomes temporarily magnetic. He inadvertently erases all the VHS videos in Mr. Fletcher's (Danny Glover) neighborhood video store. In an effort to fix this problem while Fletcher is away on a secret mission, Jerry's friend Mike (Mos Def) hatches a plan: After complaints of blank tapes from multiple customers, Mike decides to reshoot the films using an old RCA camcorder. At a nearby junkyard, the two friends shoot no-budget versions of [i]Ghostbusters, When We Were Kings, Boogie Nights, The Notebook, [/i]and more. The neighborhood catches on and people line up around the block to pay for custom remakes of their favorite films. Meanwhile, the city threatens to condemn Mr. Fletcher's building to build condominiums, and Hollywood is breathing down their necks for copyright infringement.

[i]Be Kind, Rewind [/i] embraces its own silliness and strides forward to make a surprisingly serious film. Its commentary on modern culture, video piracy, technology, and urban renewal, is oddly powerful. In an attempt to save Mr. Fletcher's cultural hub, the neighborhood creates a heartfelt, ultra-creative film in black and white. The community comes together to shoot one last film based on the life of Fats Waller, who was supposedly born in their building. Though the outcome looks bleak for the store, and Fletcher faces relocation to the Projects, the community is inspired and fights to keep things the way they are. The film's final images of a small town united to save its own are quite powerful.

Within a year, many of us will have to buy a new TV to fit with the coming all-digital format. Prepare for riot conditions, TV shortages, looting, and mass hysteria. Particularly when [i]Dancing With the Stars [/i]begins its new season. Many citizens are struggling to keep up with changes to their communications, their media devices, both at work and at home. The quirky, ultra-average citizens of Gondry's film are entirely unprepared for this swelling technology bubble. They still watch movies on VHS, despite the bigger, brighter video store across the street offering an extensive collection of DVDs. These people are incompatible with DVD's. But they are happy, perfectly content with Fletcher's collection. They seem a bit insane at times, such as Mia Farrow's aging widow who rents two movies a day. They are comfortable with their low-tech lives. If the technology bubble bursts, and millions of Americans are recycling their old equipment, creating massive TV graveyards, these folks will survive. They seem blissfully unaware of the coming changes.

Ethically speaking, there are many issues at stake here. VHS video piracy is difficult to enforce, but in the age of music theft online, we can see a strong parallel. When music studios and rock bands are suing their own fans for theft, something has to give. Is it ethical to steal copywritten material from Hollywood studios when it could save a small business? The film argues that yes, indeed it is. Gondry shows us a world where ordinary citizens are empowered to change their community through art. It is straight out of [i]Our Gang[/i], or [i]Fat Albert[/i], showing a group of naive yet ambitious citizens saving their property by putting on a show. The film sequences are very silly, yet often quite extraordinary. They manage to transform junk into art, using puppets, camera tricks and found objects to recreate famous sequences, such as the monolith and zero-gravity scenes in [i]2001: A Space Odyssey.[/i] Jack Black is doing his trademark wild-man-on-the-loose schtick, and Mos Def plays it close to the chest in deadpan seriousness. They are utterly committed to the project, and never doub their own abilities as independent filmmakers. The movie paints a heartwarming picture of losers turning into community arts leaders, surprised by their own creativity. Gondry has a visual field day, using beautiful low-tech solutions to create car chases, ghosts, etc. Look for Mike as Fats Waller playing a magnificent pipe organ made of cardboard, with actor's fingers for keys and children bursting out of the top with shining silver pipes. Beautiful.

The film also illustrates how a community cares for its elderly. Though Jerry and Mike start out trying to fool their crazed and senile customers, their efforts are a huge comfort to them. Is it alright to lie if it will make someone happy? Can one ethically cover up the truth, making fake art if it will please one's elders?

Though [i]Be Kind, Rewind [/i] may appear as a slapstick children's film, it has a lot to say about how we handle technology in a changing world. Gondry's Passaic, New Jersey is already a town that time forgot, where citizens are living in a pre-digital environment. Their lives are simpler, the film argues. And though at first I wanted to laugh at their backward old-fashioned ways, in the end I admired and envied their ability to get along without the modern technological trappings. My cellphone went off during the film, and I realized what a burden it is to be so bloody connected all the time.