'Hatred and the Movement Towards Forgiveness'

Rating: A-

Anne Gyrithe Boone has taken on the impossibly large topic of the state of hatred around the world. And does so successfully.

On Thursday night, the premiere of Bonne's "The Will to Live" was held at the CFA. The film is a documentary chronicling Bonne's experiences in South Africa, Honduras and New York City.

In the second half of 2001 and into 2002, the Denmark nativeset out to investigate how people around the world felt in regard to love and hatred. Bonne spoke before the movie and took questions afterwards.

She discussed her vocation to learn about some of the most important human emotions. "I felt that I had to go out and ask people how they felt about love, hate and reconciliation." Bonne said.

The film begins with Bonne riding through the streets of South Africa and interviewing both her guide and people that she meets along the way.

The focus of the trip to South Africa was an interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He offered seemingly positive, but unrelated words about the growth of his nation since the end of apartheid. According the film's program Tutu stated, "We were given the bible and asked to close our eyes in prayer and when we opened our eyes, we had the bible and they had the land yet the bible is revolutionary, and helped us to victory."

In opposition to him, many people on the street spoke less enthusiastically about the country's progress towards racial equality and its willingness to move towards reconciliation.

"It is as if we have to apologize to the white people," said Bonne's guide.

The next portion of the film documented Bonne's trip to Honduras. She traveled to areas of extreme poverty and stressed the presence of soldiers with machine guns as a presence in daily life.

The third segment of the film takes place in New York City only months after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Between the interviews on the street and visits to memorials, the powerful emotions displayed brought many people at the screening back to their initial feelings of sorrow.

In New York, Bonne also interviewed Chanrithy Him. She is an author who lost family members and spent her childhood under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Him also spoke at the movie's premiere about her experiences with hatred and eventual reconciliation.

"We all can learn to forgive," she said.

There is no target lesson to be learned from "The Will to Live." Both positive and negative thoughts are offered on the ability to rise above hate and learn to reconcile. Bonne did not set out to teach the world to forget anger and learn to love one another.

The screening of "The Will to Live" is largely due to the efforts of Mark Ashwill, director of the world languages program and advisor to the ASEAN GSA at UB. He hopes that along with other universities, UB will purchase "The Will to Live" in the future and use it as a tool.

Judging from Thursday's screening, use of the film in classrooms would undoubtedly be worthwhile. It provides an in depth look at grief and the prospect of hope in two areas of the world that are not often covered by a journalist's camera.