Shutter Island

Shutter Island is a film from 2010 starring Leonardo Dicaprio as the main character, Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal. The year is 1954, and he is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Ashecliffe Hospital located on a mysterious island called Shutter Island. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders if he has been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose strange treatments are unethical and sinister. Teddy's clever investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would give him more information about the case. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals try to escape in the confusion, and the puzzling clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

In the end, a major plot twist is revealed. It turns out that "Teddy" is actually a delusional mental patient in the hospital, not a U.S. marshal. He murdered his depressed wife Dolores Chanal after she drowned their three children. Because he was a mental patient at the hospital, the doctors decided to try a role-play experiment to allow him to live out his delusional fantasy in order to come to terms with reality. The treatment plan works, and he is retold what has happened to him and he accepts what he did to his wife. However, in the final scene he relapses to a delusional state. It is implied that he is faking his relapse so he will not have to deal with the mental suffering of his act, because he feels personally responsible for his wife murdering their children.

 

Unguarded: The Story of Chris Herren

This week I decided to dive into the ESPN Films series "30 for 30." This is a sports documentary series in honor of ESPN's 30th anniversary. One of the films that caught my eye was the Unguarded. This is the story of former Massachusetts hometown star Chris Herren. Being from Massachusetts myself, I thought that this would be an interesting story having known a little background on Chirs Herren. Herren was a public speaker at my Prep School in 2010. I was privileged enough to hear him speak about his addiction with drugs and alcohol and his fight to recover. However nearly 2 years later this film came out. His speech to my school was so moving, I could not wait to see it through film.

The documentary was filmed in a series of interviews with Herren, his brother, wife, and former coaches and friends that had an impact on his life. These interviews were paired with footage of Herren speaking to various schools, military personnel, and others battling addiction. Director and filmaker Jonathan Hock did a marvelous job of tying in the personal interviews and the footage of Herren speaking into a 120 minute documentary.

Herren's story is one of the most raw stories I have ever heard. Herren the hometown hero of Fall River Mass, was a McDonald's All American. After refusing scholarships to Duke, Maryland, and others he attended hometown Boston College. However, at BC he was kicked out of school for failing three drug tests. Boston College was the start of his 10 year long addiction to drugs. From BC he transferred to Fresno State where he was a college star. However, his addiction continued. Herren told a story about being out all night partying, never sleeping, and arriving to his game that morning with the last beverage to touch his lips was a beer. In that same game he had over 40 points and his team upset a highly ranked team. Herren went on to the NBA after college and played for the Denver Nuggets. After a great rookie season that Herren calls his most clean year since high school he was traded to his hometown team, the Boston Celtics. This is where Herren's life fell apart.

Herren's story is not all bad though. He is now3 years sober after suffering 3 overdoses after being kicked out of the NBA. He has 3 children and is now a picture of hope for all suffering addicts. Jonathan Hock did a remarkable job of displaying this hope in the closing of the film. One of the final scenes shows Herren hugging many of the people he touched with his story and comforting them. Perhaps this was his life path: going through all the pain of addiction to help others with their pain. This documentary was moving, tear jerking, and very real. I recommend everyone to watch it, even if your not a sports fan.

Working Summer

I spent the majority of my summer at work. While most of my friends got to spend time at the beach or on vacation, I sat in a studio for six hours a day. Since my senior year in high school I've worked at the local cable access channel in my hometown. And while I love my job, being from a small Massachusetts town (of about 12,000 people) in the suburbs right outside Boston, there isn't a whole lot going on.  That's not to say I had a bad summer. I got to do some of the things I love- filming, editing, and producing shows for the station.
My favorite show I made was for a local non-profit organization called Lovelane Special Needs  Horseback Riding. It is an organization dedicated to helping kids with disabilities through horseback riding. As a kid I was an avid equestrian- I rode for over ten years and competed in horse shows, so this was something that I found really interesting. This program hosts a charity event in my hometown every summer called the "Run for Lovelane" and this year it is dedicated in honor of a girl named Susan McDaniel. Susan was a rider at Lovelane, and a resident of my town. Unfortunately, Susan died a few years ago, and since she would have graduated with the class of 2012 this past Spring, the Run was dedicated in her honor.
I spent an entire day filming the event, getting interviews, BRoll, and more. By the end of the day I had over three hours of footage total. It was a lot to sort through, but I really enjoyed all of it, especially since it was for such a good cause. I really wanted to do something good for this family, and the organization, and I have plans to film more for them in the future.
Doing something important for something that mattered to me was, in my opinion, the best part of my summer, and I wouldn't have traded it for any vacation.

Run for Lovelane 2012- Video

A Screenshot of the Weston Media Center Posterous Website