Wattstax

As a screenwriting and television major, I've grown used to watching a wide variety of shows and movies that revolve around different subject matters. This is no exception to the movie Wattstax, which is a documentary about a music festival of the same name. When I first watched this movie, I was afraid that it was going to be similar to other documentaries involving African Americans and, in some ways, that is indeed the case. However, as you continue to watch it, you can see that Wattstax is a lot different and is worth the watch.

Unlike most documentaries, which usually involves interviews with a couple of experts that focus on a particular subject, Wattstax took the time to interview people who were simply standing around. They got a first person view on the subject, getting the peoples reactions and actual feelings about how the African American community is either improving or declining as a whole in the United States. I really liked that since I sometimes can't take what experts say all the time. In most cases, they'll just say one thing while hiding some important details. However, that's not the case when interviewing bystanders as they'll tell you what they really know and how they really feel.

Also, another thing I really enjoyed about the movie is the music festival that they cut away to. Although I didn't really appreciate the songs that were being played, mostly because I wasn't focusing on them, I did appreciate the reactions of the people. From what I could tell, a lot of them were having a really good time, sometimes running onto the field in order to join in the fun. I can't quite explain it, but seeing them all happy like that made me happy as well. In the end, I guess it proves that even during times in which African Americans still had a lot of problems to deal with in their community, they can still come together and have a goo time.

In conclusion, I found Wattstax to be a cool documentary that gives you a first person look on how the African American community actually feels. Sure, we can get experts to give us a logical and thought out speech about how things are, but there something about getting the truth from regular people that gives you a sense of satisfaction.