DOULER
SOUFFRANCE
INOUBLIABLE
Breathe.
A young woman suddenly bumps into me and quickly walks past without a second glance. She has already forgotten the incident. I, however, have not.
Breathe.
We’re okay.
Breathe.
We have to be strong.
Breathe.
We will get though it.
9/11: the streets of Manhattan froze in smoke. The day was beyond disaster. “This is an attack on all of humanity.”
11/13: Paris. Shots. Seven locations. Hundreds of people. Wounded; crying; dead. “This is an attack on all of humanity.”
One month later we still face the pain and horror of the night that never ended.
One month later and we are still wondering how this happened. How are we the ones still standing while so many of our loved one are dead.
One month later and we still see their broken bodies, their empty eyes, their blank faces.
One month later and we are still wondering how we can ever escape or feel safe again.
One month later and we still have not found a way to live without this pain.
Where are the other survivors?
WAIT.
Who is to blame?
Who else is out there?
Who is on my side?
STOP.
It’s negativity that prevents us from moving forward.
It’s fear that keeps us from living.
It’s hatred that drives us apart.
STAND.
We must fight together as one.
We must live without holding back.
We must remember the past, embrace the present, and face forward to the future.
LOOK.
Everyone is mourning.
Everyone is giving their hands.
Everyone is holding each other.
WATCH.
The world is a bright place.
The world is not defined by bad people.
The world is full of good.
LISTEN.
Take this as a lesson.
Take the grief and turn it into action.
Take your tears and water the earth below. Grow from the ground up. Don’t dig up the past.
One world; one people; one life. It all matters.
“They would win if we didn’t go about our lives the way we used to.”
…
“Faced with terror, France must be strong. She must be great. We will be.”
…
“You will never defeat us. We are too strong.”
…
Think about it and you be surprised by what you realize:
One month later we are stronger than ever.
One month later we are connected in history.
One month later the streets are no longer covered in blood, but in flowers and letters of love.
One month later we are trying to make a difference.
One month later we can still smile, and that’s how life goes on.
All eyes on Paris.
By: Emily Weiss, Keti Tsotskolauri, Zuzanna Osiecka, Borys Shturman, Sabrina Yu, Jana Abumusallam
Your film was disturbing, and I mean that with the highest level of praise. You took the horrific reality of the Paris attack and revealed how the atrocities of that event still resonate today, weeks after the attack. While some people who weren’t there were sad and shocked at first, they were able to get over it relatively quickly and move on with their lives. Other people weren’t so lucky. Everywhere Keti went, she was reminded of the tragedy that unfolded that day. In the subway she felt the same claustrophobia that she felt in the crowd in Paris. In Time’s Square she heard the same sirens that she heard that day. No matter where she turned, her scarring memories followed. And that will never change. Overall, you did a good job exploring how a tragic event can resonate over time and continue to haunt victims, even when they are thousands of miles away.
This was a really great video. I really liked how you guys went back and forth from Keti’s life to the horrible and terrible scenes of the Paris attacks. I’m not so sure if Keti was supposed to be portrayed as a survivor or just as a citizen from abroad that was pained by the event, but it felt as though Keti had been there and that those scenes were flashbacks in her head of the what she had experienced that sort of kept recurring in her mind. In either case, your video really showed how this event has managed to traumatize and haunt people, even weeks after it took place.
The film was definitely impactful on many different emotions. The audience felt the terror, and grief felt by the protagonist. Overall I enjoyed the video. You guys did a nice job transitioning to each scene in Paris after certain situations in reality triggered them. I was especially impressed when the subway train was moving towards you and then it faded into the dark night of street cars with gunshots. Great job guys.
Your video did a great job exploring PTSD and the ways in which tragic events can still haunt a survivor’s life. No matter where Keti went, the sights and sounds of the Paris attacks continued to follow and torment her. The editing in your video was also amazing. The breaks from Keti’s reality to memories of the Paris attacks indicated how the attacks affected her. The slowing down of certain scenes and movements emphasized parts of the video in a strong way. Additionally, the news audio used in your video was incredibly powerful.
I think that it was really impactful how you paralleled previous experience to the perspective of the protagonist, showing a connection and comparison between the past and present. It helped the viewer further analyze the interaction of Keti’s environment and her memory/trauma from the past. Especially after the Paris attacks, there is a connotation of fear within metropolitan areas such as New York over violent terror attacks. However, in the manifesto, the concept of unity and strength was brought up, which I find both interesting and compelling. To let the past affect our future gives victory to those who commit acts of terror, and we have further unified as a society through the fear that we feel. I appreciate how you brought this concept together through your manifesto, further elaborating on the ideas that you brought up in your video.