Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs ShortFest 2022: "Meantime" by Michael T Workman |

 I'm so sick of waiting.

 Aren't you,

 For the world to become good

 Also beautiful and nice?

 Let us take a knife

 And cut the world in two-

 And see what the worms consume

 At the rind.

--Langston Hughes Good Morning, Revolution: Uncollected Social Protest Writings

Winner of the Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs Shortfest 2022 is "Meantime" by Michael T Workman. Michael set up a camera at the home of his father Tim for a "deeply personal examination of memories as well as guilt, labour as well as the desire to keep the momentary." That's at least it's the way its logline is written. What is so beautiful about the documentary is that it's not really about these vague descriptions of human emotion. "Meantime" focuses a magnifying glass on the root of the evils that plague in the United States: capitalism, poor labor practices, insufficient care for people suffering from mental illness, and an understanding that the American slogan is "pull yourself by the bootstraps" is an physically impossible task. The documentary lays out the many ways in which it is that the United States fails to fully take care of its people throughout their lives, from birth to death. In the words of Michael articulately states in the Q&A "

 "It may not be evident, but I am convinced that the topic of the film is the cruelty of capitalism. ...My father is the product of a culture that sees people as "human resources" an ideology which dehumanizes people who do not fit into an uncompromising system of work and exploitation. "

In its production, as sombre like the harsh Montana winter its set in, "Meantime" is a film about wounded souls who yet grew into caring and compassionate people.

We asked Michael some questions regarding his personal family photo and were awed by his kind and caring responses. Find out more about the conversation we had with Michael.

 Inspiring:

 "The idea for the film was a result of my experience after helping my dad digitize his home videos. While reviewing them, I experienced these deeply emotional moments in the small and seemingly insignificant moments that my father recorded. The most memorable moments were not holidays, birthday parties, or weddings that were most affecting. They were the times when my family members were caught between and waiting for something significant to occur and then having a conversation, laughing or even arguing. Through those times, I observed those I had known in various stages of their lives, and my understanding of their experience began to deepen. I'd always been averse to the idea of creating personal film, however watching the footage, and then returning to Montana inspired me to create this film ."

 His tips on filming family:

 "Working with family members is so hard. Deciding when to stop the camera to just be there was the greatest challenge. At the conclusion of the process my dad and I were over recording. I think I'm good with being able to hide behind my camera now. My tip for filmmakers working in a family setting is to organize the time and place that you plan to shoot and utilize that to set a limit. Don't shoot everything all of the time and do not chase what's happening. You should think about what you'd like to capture and let the camera roll. After you're finished, you are finished. There will be things you miss and that's fine. The most important thing is to make sure that what you do capture will be more likely of being deep and compelling. Then turn off the camera and go back to living your daily life ."

 Reaction of his family to the film

 "My family has seen the film. I played it for my mother after I was done and it was by far the most emotional viewing experience that I've had. Because this film is personal, I experienced moments of being completely indifferent to it as well as times of intense emotions. As I was watching the film with my mom, tiny details in the movie caused me to cry uncontrollably. It's a testament to how the environment of the people you're watching a movie with could deeply change the experience of that film. It was an uplifting experience for us both and she gained a deeper understanding of my father's viewpoint that she was unable to see at the time.

 I was the most anxious about showing this to my father. We had planned to sit down and watch it, but it wasn't the right time, so he decided to watch the movie independently. After he called me and informed me that he'd was watching it at home, my heart broke. He told me something along the similar to "Mike, I watched your film, it's excellent, and I never want to go back to it." The main cause of stress for him was not the vulnerability that the film revealed, it was watching himself on screen as well as hearing his own voice. It was the voice that made him feel uncomfortable (for myself too). )."

 On challenges faced:

 "The hardest part of making this film was creating distance between me and the movie. I think this is the most difficult part of personal projects and is where it fails most often. Films that are personal can be emotionally charged to the filmmaker however not to the viewers. I tried to stay clear of this at all costs and to try and distance myself from the film and think of it as something that does not know myself. Since I was editing it was an ongoing problem. I overcame this through having a lot of trusted individuals around me who gave me truthful and constructive criticism ."

 What he'd like us to think about when watching the film

 "It may not be apparent, but I think that the subject of this film is the cruelty of capitalism. This is, in the end, the main reason for my dad's inability to lead the life he wants to live in peace and comfort. Although abuse could be the cause of my father's struggles, the lack of support to heal of that experience is a social ill-effect and not a personal failure. My dad is a product of a system that views people as "human resources" a system that dehumanizes those who are unable to be incorporated into an arbitrary system of labor exploitation.

 Capitalism offers working-class people two choices: work or beg on the street. While this is never explicitly made clear in the film it is the subterranean foundation of the narrative. If those in my dad's position had access to robust physical and mental health, housing, and food and did not have to prove their worthiness by being in horrible conditions and living in a miserable environment, they would be able to live happy and in a safe environment where they could work on healing the trauma they suffered.

 The key point in the opening title cards for the documentary is my father's stroke was caused due to a panic attack during work because the company was trying to maximize profit by understaffing the nursing home where he was working. It was clear that this was a recurring situation for him when I was making the film when I discovered that work stress rather than the pressure of raising an unborn child was what contributed to my dad's mental health crisis in the early years of my life.

 I also hope that the film will encourage people to treasure the time they get with their beloved family members and to discuss the effects of difficulties and suffering in a compassionate and open setting. In the end, the heart of this movie is caring for our parents through knowing them as complex human beings and respecting the precious moments you spend with them ."

 Michael's tips for aspiring film makers:

 "I constantly tell my students to be a fighter in order to retain their youthful enthusiasm for making movies. Every step of the way it is a struggle for this industry to make you go through the meat grinder of work and turn you into someone else's tool. They will try to take all the fun out of it and set up artificially high stakes in order to make the most asinine material. Anyone who's been for a major advertising company knows this. I would advise you to be working on something that makes you happy even if your wage-labor job isn't. Continue to work on the films you make yourself or on hobbies that make you feel as if you're an artist. If you're a part of Sundance and you've lost the joy of filmmaking What's the point of working on this? ?"

 What's next?

 "I'm developing a feature documentary idea that will be an observational character-driven woven-narrative film set in a town that is mining in Montana. The idea is still in the initial stages of development so I'm unable to provide much beyond that right now.

 I'm involved in a project on people with jobs they are aware of as completely useless. If you're looking for a job similar to that, you should contact me by email. We are currently casting ."