Indie # 14 - Mississippi Son

Hey all,

Yes, I'm back on the Indie path. Time to promote more good films! And the next one on the list is:

Indie # 14 - Mississippi Son

Written and Produced by Don and Leslie Wilson

Edited and Directed by Don Wilson

http://www.mississippison.com/

Buy the MP3 album here. (If the link doesn't work, go to amazon and search on 'mississippi son' and you'll get the result.)

I've been battling a sore throat and stuffy sinuses for a few days now, and stayed home sick from work today. By mere chance, I happened to catch this documentary on the HALO channel.

The result? I am in awe. And immediately after posting this blog, I'm going to go buy the MP3 album as well as the DVD.

This documentary was made in 2007, 2 years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It examines the life, culture, and people who dealt with the storm and how they are coping several years later. The film offers a slice of life and a greater understanding of the Gulf Coast people, which is one of the many things I admire about this film.

I'm from the Gulf Coast area myself but no longer live there. Since I've left, I've encountered numerous people who don't understand the Gulf Coast way of life. This film offers a bit of explanation and peek into the hearts of its resilient water-loving people.

Some key points that resonated with me:

* People who barely got 10% of the value of their homes to rebuild, and yet they rebuilt anyway. People so connected to the land that it's a primal bond; it can't be separated, even by Mother Nature's worst tantrum.

* Musicians who needed some semblance of normalcy after the storm went out and gathered boards, wood, random tree branches, anything they could find. They built up an area for a stage, and they played/created music that they played to the Cypress trees. They now have a cult following, but they went out and played music--in the midst of despair--because they were dedicated to their art and they needed to embrace it in order to survive. I highly respect and admire that attitude and dedication.

* That complete strangers reached out to help and for a sliver of time, there was what used to be known as 'community.' Not "us" and "them".

I highly recommend this film. Granted, I'm a bit biased on the post-Katrina issue. I wrote a poem right after the storm hit and am now trying to market my women's fiction novel set in New Orleans post-Katrina. But it's more than that. I admire any artistic medium that brings out the best in us, that inspires us to survive--no matter what.

So go check it out :)