Bang Bang Galore!

A Filmmaker’s BLOGELLA
Written by Steve Rosenberg

Blog 39  Mio and Me

Sent: May 8, 2007 3:53:18 AM

I’ve recently confirmed my ticket to return to Canada and I will leave Bangalore in less than one week. I came here to shoot a documentary, but I also had a hidden agenda. I had a secret desire to spend winters here teaching film studies to under-priveledged children. I still believe that is possible, but I am not sure I will be welcomed back to teach at the Born Free Arts School. John and his Born Free students left town on an artist’s retreat near Mangalore coast. The group departed without my knowledge, which stung, just a little bit.

Mio has been aloof lately, although she has trouble articulating her anger in the form of discussion. Her weapon of choice is silence. When I finally confront her, I am told, “Everything is fine!” “I’ve just got too many things on my mind.” It’s true! She is stressed and overwhelmed by the dizzying speed of events that are taking place in her rapidly expanding organization.

It’s been a difficult process to go from favourite guest status to the I-can’t- wait-to-get rid of-this- pesky-guest status. I’m disappointed with this outcome, because more than just making a film, I wanted so badly to embrace a cause; to be part of a socially conscious movement inspired to assist and promote child’s rights. I can’t get past my ambivalent feelings towards John and Mio. They’ve created a caring family out of a group of unloved abused children and they should be commended for their dedication. But the organization has many characteristics of a cult.

It is not a cult in the religious sense. Most of these Born Free kids are born Hindus, but have very little religious awareness. If you ask most of them about their religion, they will tell you they believe in Hinduism and Christ, but none of them seem remotely interested in attending temple services.
John and Mio and Tak are devout Christians who attend the odd Sunday service; but their religious beliefs are a private affair. Anthony and John have had several discussions about the relevance of Christ in their life, but the most part they run a secular school.

The children worship John and for good reason.

• He is effusive in his praise for his students’ artwork, because he sees these kids as his audience and worse, as an extension of himself. There is a lovely sculpture garden behind the school that includes student works including incredible stone carvings depicting various forms of children in toil. John talks about inspiring children with imagination, but the thematic unity of all the art representations all tell the same story: children in toil. It is movement being lead by an enlightened benevolent leader. However, I can’t help feeling a tiny bit manipulated by John. His cash strapped organization is in need of international support and John sees me as a potential donor and media outlet for his cause. The problem is that he failed to see that I was not there to make a promotional video on behalf of Born Free Arts School.

I worry about Mio, a vibrant young woman, under the spell of a married man twenty years her senior. Perhaps they are merely emotional lovers, but judging by Mio’s up and down mood lately, I sense that she is sitting on an active volcano.