HUMAN, Volume Three

This is the third in a series of films by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in which people are asked fundamental questions and give their responses, this time on such matters as happiness, education, disability, immigration, corruption and the meaning of life.

I am not sure if the refugee crisis had already begun when these films were edited, but some of the testimonies really provide a poignant reminder of why people are seeking refuge away from their land of birth, as one says (about Afghanistan): it is not a country, it is a killing field.

Once again, I felt a little uneasy with the way we are sometimes positioned as voyeurs in the sharing of some of these stories. I can only presume that the people involved knew – and actively wanted – their stories to reach others, as indeed one of the interviewees says.

The films are a remarkable showcase, and as some of the interviews are being published as vignettes on their youtube site, I may make my own collection in a playlist and embed them here later.

Below the main film I also include an overview by the film maker in which he discusses what he was aiming at, and what his methods were in making these films.