"The watchman" is a British short film from 2007, so this one has its 10th anniversary this year. It was written and directed by Edward Brooke-Hitching and it is actually the filmmaker's more known work out of only 2 apparently. But is it really well-known? I believe the list inclusions and probably also many ratings here are by people who mistook it for the film with the similar title. Quite a shame as this one here is deserving of all the attention it gets. It is about a window cleaner who spends his spare time at the very cliff where he almost decided to end his own life and the film shows us how he tries to keep people from killing themselves there by jumping down into the abyss. Oh well, of course it does not really show us exactly, but it summarizes what he does there with the help of interviews and landscape recordings. I applaud the man as honestly can it get any more depressing than waiting there for somebody to show up and kill themselves, maybe even become a witness of the suicide. It must be pretty hard on him, so it's nice to see he apparently found happiness with his wife/girlfriend and now he is giving back. Thumbs-up for this one. A good watch at under seven minutes.
2 Reviews
Restores your faith in humanity
amber-wilkinson30 November 2008
Edward Brooke-Hitching, whose film The Really Terrible Orchestra scooped the Scottish short documentary award at EIFF 2006, has turned his attention to a much more serious subject this year suicides at Beachy Head.
Rather than just talking about the fact that each year 38 people pitch themselves off the top of this beauty spot, however, Brooke-Hitching has found a human angle which gives his film much more of an emotional impact.
Keith Lane is The Watchman of the film's title. A man who, after losing his wife to the deadly draw of the cliffs decided to patrol them twice a day and try to talk down other would-be jumpers. This is truly what might be termed a magnificent obsession and Brooke-Hitching explores it with sensitivity. He lets Keith talk about his experiences and inter-cuts this footage with shots of the cliffs, capturing both their beauty and their immensity well. A careful study of one man's 'mission' and the sort of documentary that restores your faith in humanity.
Rather than just talking about the fact that each year 38 people pitch themselves off the top of this beauty spot, however, Brooke-Hitching has found a human angle which gives his film much more of an emotional impact.
Keith Lane is The Watchman of the film's title. A man who, after losing his wife to the deadly draw of the cliffs decided to patrol them twice a day and try to talk down other would-be jumpers. This is truly what might be termed a magnificent obsession and Brooke-Hitching explores it with sensitivity. He lets Keith talk about his experiences and inter-cuts this footage with shots of the cliffs, capturing both their beauty and their immensity well. A careful study of one man's 'mission' and the sort of documentary that restores your faith in humanity.
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