I was highly moved by Kim Snyder’s visit on campus. I think she had to be my favorite visitor of this semester. Her viewing of Newtown left me floored, emotional, and moved by her way of weaving documentary and pushing a story that many people wouldn’t have the guts to show. Her tenacity to creating bonds with broken people trying to make a new way for their deceased children, and building a story from it, literally had me motivated to continue my own documentary objectives. It was emotional, thought-provoking, and REAL. It gave action without showing it, gave feeling through words, and allowed you to feel vulnerable at all points. It was without a doubt one of the best documentary films I have seen so far, and its not boring. It does educate, but in an awareness point of view where you don’t feel like you’re at school. She was so genuine with her talk back as well, allowing herself the humbleness that comes with being a documentarian that films a massacre such as this, and offered great feedback. As all the speakers who came said, it’s important to gain a relationship with your subjects, as they are the ones who give themselves to you to film.
