Activity 1: "Through a Blue Lens

I chose to expand on question 7 from the documentary "Through a Blue Lens" worksheet. The question asked the student to describe some of the most powerful parts of the film in our own opinion.
As I watched the documentary I listed several things that really impacted me as I watched the film. I think most of the memorable parts of the film for me centralized around the participants Randy and Nicola and the personal relationships the officers in the documentary had formed with the drug addicts.
This was evident as I watched the officers present Nicola with her Christmas present and they hugged her and wished her a Merry Christmas and got her everything that she loved as if they "actually knew her". Their compassion towards Nicola was also shown when they offered to take her to the doctor so she could get a referral to enter into a treatment. The officers truly cared and wanted to help her and I just felt so disappointed when she refused the offer, showing she was not serious about getting clean.
Another occurrence in the film that really hit home with me was when the officers brought Randy's brother to come and see him, who he had not seen in years. This was an extremely emotional and impactful scene watching his brother cry seeing Randy out on the streets. By the officers establishing connections between the users and their past and family, it allowed them to form personal relationships with these people and view them in a more compassionate way than simply drug addicts who need a fix. All these people were someone's children, they all ad families and pasts just like everyone else. It was sad to see how off track their lives had become because of the addiction to drugs.
Other scenes such as where Carlee shows the officers her scars from picking at herself while using drugs and after her boyfriend shot himself in front of her, as well as the man who overdosed in the ally and hours later was using again were extremely powerful as well and helped emphasize the meaning behind this documentary.
I truly hope that everyone who watched this took what I took from it; the dangers that drug using can lead to. I hope that efforts like this continue to make drugs UNPOPULAR and eventually end the tragedy that is drug addiction.

That's all I got for now!

Tootles~~