Send a Bullet

It’s not a mirror that is needed to show reality,but a hammer striking reality into shape. JasonKohn takes this lesson to heart in his debutfeature “Send a Bullet”.Deep-fried frogs, a mangled test dummy andears floating in formaldehyde are just a fewof the startling images that come together inKohn’s study of political corruption in Brazil.Cleverly navigating past the clichés of manyThird-World documentaries, the film focusesnot on the slums, but on the paranoia of therich: a manufacturer discusses the productionof bulletproof cars, a plastic surgeon – gettingrich on reconstructive surgery – waxes poeticabout God and a kidnapper talks about sewagesystems. Out of what at first glance seemsrandom emerges a far reaching and alarmingsociological picture of modern day Brazil.Echoes of Kohn’s mentor, Errol Morris, areclearly felt in the use of techniques morecommon to nonfiction filmmaking. It’s anapproach that inevitably poses a question aboutthe social responsibility of documentaries.

Face2Face:
Monday 19 November
GRAND 18.00
WITH: Jason Kohn (director)
MODERATOR: Nanushka Yeaman (journalist)