Q&A With Georgia Villalobos at the Adventure And travel festival in London
The documentary Man With A Pram was viewed by a full crowd in London and afterwards one of the stars of the film, georgia Villalobos, answered questions!
Here´s a written review:
Mikael’s documentary “A Man with a Pram” made me think. He challenges the viewer to consider their own background, social class, values, beliefs?etc. It successfully achieves what an anthropologist intends to do when examining a society or a group of people, who are different to their own. The anthropologist also acknowledges their own cultural perspective, questions their own bias and previous attitudes in order to draw new conclusions and to present scenarios as they encounter them, warts and all. This film thoughtfully presents the harsh differences and realities of different groups of people in Britain today. This is a Britain where rifts, not just cracks exist across social class, age group, education, between those of the urban areas, cities and the countryside. The film highlights the cultural and social disparities, which perhaps aren’t readily observable. A foreigner inevitably has a different view of the group that they’re travelling amongst and inevitably makes observations and comments as they are viewing another group of people through their own prism. It’s worthwhile to hear those observations, especially as the inhabitants of this island are increasingly divided. Sadly, those uncomfortable differences need to be stated especially as these differences, inequalities, and similarities effect expectations, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions. Mikael’s film kindly presents a means by which the complex dilemmas over immigration, identity, and nationalism are observable. Such ideas are tough and it is easier to deal with in the abstract, but harder when they are attached to people with names and faces.
The film kindly highlights the idea that people from one place are similar to others in the world. Every one generally wishes to be comfortable, in familiar places, safe, away from cold and starvation. The film gently challenges and this is a good thing. A film by someone from another country may show a view that is characterized by a far more acute sensitivity to differences. The experience ‘mirror’s one’s own cultural insecurities, strengths and differences. Mikael’s film highlights various identities which define the natures of an English or a British person. The viewer is forced to think, their perceptions are challenged and their realities are questioned particularly if they happen to be English or from the United Kingdom.
The toughest films to watch are often those made of a group of people, another nation, by someone from another country. Even if you don’t want to be provoked into thinking?do watch this documentary as it shows Dana, Mikael’s daughter, revel in the joys of exploring somewhere with no preconceptions at all as regards people and places. She is curious, full of the joys of life, and determined to explore the limits of her own world as it’s opening up in terms of where she is, who she is, and who she encounters. She reminds the viewer that children are apt to make the most appropriate observations as they don’t just see the need to be diplomatic so they invariably make the most honest comments that those of who are adults, don’t dare make or ask. She was in a sense a foil for the tougher and larger issues which Mikael’s expedition raised.
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