Requiem For The Dead: American Spring 2014

[Tara Ariano]

Deaths from gun violence in the U.S. in the spring of 2014 are spotlighted using recordings of 911 calls, police reports and social media posts that followed homicides, suicides and fatal accidents.

 

Premieres Monday, June 22, at 9 PM ET on HBO.

[Primetimer]

She'll take the hit. Watch it anyway; it's important.

Read the story

[Lorimac]

What a great post. Thank you. Unfortunately,and sadly, the people who need to watch this probably won't. Sigh.

[Constantinople]

Unfortunately,and sadly, the people who need to watch this probably won't.

 

Sorry to fall in to the sin of despair, but it wouldn't make a difference if most of them did because it's impossible to argue over matters of faith.  The solution will always be more guns.

[bilgistic]

I just wept through that whole thing, as if I had any more tears left after the Charleston massacre. Two of the stories especially frightened me because I can very easily see my ex-brother-in-law doing what those fathers and husbands did. I'm so afraid for my sister and niece. My dad is a gun enthusiast and is extremely responsible, but the accident stories scared me, too. I want to tell everyone to watch this. I want to yell in people's faces for them to wake up. How do we not ever, ever learn?

[YoSaffBridge]

I may have to get an HBO Go trial to watch this and that documentary about Ann Richards Tara recently mentioned. I don't understand the "more guns will solve the problem" mindset, and sometimes I need to sit with people who feel the same way, because in Indiana, that can get you treated as a nutjob.

[Crisopera]

The worst part of the tragedy in Charleston is that nothing will happen. NOTHING. Nothing happened after Columbine. Nothing happened after Newtown. The only thing that will happen is that Charleston will take down the Confederate battle flag. And even that will take endless debate (as if there was anything to debate.) I'll watch this documentary, but every minute will be hideously painful.

[bilgistic]

I live in Charlotte, NC, so the Great Flag Debate is all over the news here. The headlines are "SC Leaders Support Removing Flag". So...what's the issue then? Why is it still flying? If "leaders", i.e., the governor, congresspersons, etc., etc., want it down, then take it down.

 

Because I have a dad that served in Vietnam and is a responsible gun owner, I am so torn on gun laws. I support his rights, but there are no children in my parents' house. He has sold guns at shows but will not sell to anyone who is unlicensed. I do not shoot, though I have in the past, a million years ago at Christian summer camp. Of course.

 

"Guns don't kill people", but would so many of those children be dead if there *weren't* guns in their homes?? TWO YEAR OLDS don't shoot themselves if there are no guns in the house.

[messyone15]

Each time I have watched an HBO documentary, I am soooo bummed and ask my husband why I do that to myself. (Except for the Frank Sinatra one). I just don't think I can do this one, and get totally depressed, feel hopeless, and wish I lived in Australia where I feel better about their gun laws. Are there any happy HBO documentaries?

[ChristinaRoo]

I'm a true-crime junkie, but Jesus rollerblading CHRIST that was a hard watch.

[meep.meep]

Each time I have watched an HBO documentary, I am soooo bummed and ask my husband why I do that to myself. (Except for the Frank Sinatra one). I just don't think I can do this one, and get totally depressed, feel hopeless, and wish I lived in Australia where I feel better about their gun laws. Are there any happy HBO documentaries?

 

Yes there are happy HBO documentaries!  Check out Living with Lincoln.  It's about a family whose life work for several generations was collecting photos and information about Abraham Lincoln and his family.

 

There's another one, Finding Vivian Maier, about a strange French nanny who was an unknown but brilliant photographer.  It was nominated for an Oscar.

 

For some reason nobody starts threads about the happier ones.

[formerlyfreedom]

For some reason nobody starts threads about the happier ones.

 

But you TOTALLY CAN! ;)

 

Really, if you want to start one to talk about either of those, please do. I am watching behind the scheduling, so some happy ones would be nice to cleanse my despair-loving palate!

[meep.meep]

Challenge accepted!

 

But now someone else has to watch Living with Lincoln and commentate about it.

[iggysaurus]

Wasn't Finding Vivian Maier on Showtime, not HBO? I was looking to see if there's a thread about it but I didn't even know where to look since there's no thread for Showtime documentaries.  Then I did a search and found this mention of it here.  Where would be the best place to start a thread about it?

[formerlyfreedom]

Wasn't Finding Vivian Maier on Showtime, not HBO? I was looking to see if there's a thread about it but I didn't even know where to look since there's no thread for Showtime documentaries.  Then I did a search and found this mention of it here.  Where would be the best place to start a thread about it?

 

@iggysaurus, it looks like that was actually a theatrically released documentary, and not one produced by either Showtime or HBO. So then the spot for it would be over in the Movies forum. You can check with one of the mods there to see where exactly in there it should go!

[missy jo]

Every American should be forced to watch this documentary Clockwork Orange-style. Like the previous poster said, the people who most need to see this documentary, probably won't be watching it.

[bosawks]

Man, it took me weeks to get through this.

 

I kept on having to take "mental health" breaks.

[iggysaurus]

I just watched this, and although every case was horrific, I was the most disturbed by the one where a 12 year old shot his 16 year old sister, 8 times or something (intentionally), and also sexually abused her, then shot himself.  What on earth could cause a 12 year old to do something like that .. I'm just at a loss.  He had multiple guns, and his gun hobby seemed to be sanctioned by the parents ... at 12 years old. Just, WTF?

[bilgistic]

I told my mother she has to watch this, and she hasn't. Meanwhile, she's taken a conceal-and-carry course and now carries a handbag with a "hidden" compartment for a handgun. No words.