Dark Money

First Hit: A fantastic view of how the Supreme Court’s Citizens United VS F.E.C. decision changed the course of politics to; whomever has the most money behind them wins.

This film uses the State of Montana’s experience with corporations taking control of the government to make its point.

In the early 1900’s Montana was the epicenter for copper production in the United States. Anaconda Copper company started excavating the beginning of the worlds largest open mine pit which also turned into one of worst environmental calamities in the world. As this pit grew, money was made, and the interests of the company started butting up against the people of Montana who wanted to be safe from the poisoned mine pit. To keep control large sums of money was used to bribe government officials to look past the destruction of the communities affected by the mines. Soon, Montana’s government was controlled by mining companies.

The citizens revolted and wrote the strongest legislation possible against this sort of government control by corporations and their money. Other states followed because citizens everywhere were getting the short end of the stick through corporation abuse of legislation that supported their profits.

This film follows John S. Adams investigative reporting through modern day events in Montana where the Koch brothers and others like them are attempting to control local and state government agendas by having candidates who meet their criteria, sign up for their campaign programs, and vote the way the financiers want. All these events are the result on the Supreme Court decision to allow, for profit, not for profit, and other groups and corporations to donate money and resources to political elections.

To me the irony of this is that the “Citizens United” name sort of implies individual citizens, it doesn’t it is about wealthy groups of individuals and companies to control government for their monetary gains.

My favorite part of the film was watching State Senator Art Wittich R-Bozeman stand on the Montana Senate floor threatening other senators who want to create a law to restrict corporate campaign donations by saying “the worm will turn.” What happens is that he gets convicted for illegal contributions. I couldn't help but think the worm did turn.

Kimberly Reed and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg wrote a powerful story and Reed’s direction was fantastic by bringing the past and present together to show why we’ve not learned well enough from our past mistakes.

Overall: This was a powerful film about how corruption by money is killing a true democracy.

Prodigal Sons

First Hit: Overdone film which might have been therapeutic to Kim (formally Paul) but left me wondering why this film made it to theaters.

Kimberly Reed (formally Paul McKerrow) revisits her home town of Helena Montana to attend her 20 year high school reunion.

She has been estranged from her hometown community after undergoing a sex change operation. Her older adopted brother Marc will also be attending the reunion because he was held back a grade in pre-school.

Marc describes himself as a reckless young man which led him to an auto accident where he received head injuries. He had numerous brain surgeries which required removing part of his brain. This makes him have occasional violent mood swings and can be irrational. Marc and Kim have been estranged for years.

There is also a younger brother named Todd, who announced being gay some years earlier. Their mother and father, as well as the entire Helena community, embraced all of these changes in their children. During this film we see the disagreements and family fighting.

We see Marc learning he is the grandson of Orson Wells (he looks a lot like him). We see a family trying to understand each other. However, the question is why would we care? From a human perspective, I could sense their own anguish and could sense the pain of their struggles while feeling compassion for her and her family's struggle.

However, it was also obvious to me, that they each needed to do more accepting of themselves, their choices and subsequently each other. When Marc shows Oja Kodar, Orson’s close companion, pictures of his childhood which included Kim as she once was, Kim lights into him as if Marc did something wrong.

For this she is clearly out of line. If Kim felt bad or hurt about the truth that she was born in a boy's body, then Kim needs to get over it. Marc’s intention was not to embarrass Kim but share his life with someone who wanted to know. I hope Kim watches this segment a few times as Marc, although struggling to be clear, rightfully tells Kim she needs to look at her own stuff.

Kimberly Reed directed this overly long and not very enlightening film. It felt as if this film needed to have a more profound universal point to make instead of being so engrossed in her own victimization of her own clearly made choices. It isn’t to say that her path wasn’t life changing, difficult, and interesting, but to assume it is of interest to others at the level it is to her is a reach.

Overall:  This film felt like a therapeutic avenue for the director to start the process of seeing herself as a fully engaged human being instead of being victim. Marc isn't her issue, she is.