Catching Out: Europe

Byens Lys in Christiania

The Finale:

Apparently the beginning of the rainy season causes people in Amsterdam to hibernate. They eventually get restless and start socializing again but initially they stay indoors. Or at least that was one of the explanations offered for the low turnout at Filmhuis Cavia (http://squat.net/overtoom301/pages/tuesday.html). But in retrospect I think the depth of Anti-American sentiment may have been a bigger factor than the weather.

Most of the faces in the audience were familiar. I applied the meager proceeds from admission toward a round of whisky afterwards and relaxed in the company of friends. We talked about the film and the tour. I particularly welcomed the insights of my friend Sami, who had organized the screening as part of a regular documentary series. He liked the warmth of the film but - like many other critics - he wanted to see the dark side of the trainhopping lifestyle. He asked, "Where is the messiness of reality?"

After we talked for a while I think I understood what he meant. And it occurred to me that maybe the perspective he seeks requires a level of detachment. And perhaps the feeling of warmth is incompatible because it radiates from attachment. Or, to apply the language that Lee uses in the film, it might be the difference between insiders and outsiders telling a story.

The conversation percolated in my mind during the drive to Copenhagen…happy to be back in the company of Max the camper. I began to consider that maybe when the girl in Bielefeld said CATCHING OUT was a typically American film she meant: a certain simplicity, naivete, idealism, emotion, even arrogance. Whereas typically European characteristics might include: an inherent complexity, sophistication, realism, perception, humility.

In fact I started to see the distinctions in the context of WWII. In America, WWII had a linear plot of soldiers, heroism, victory. In Europe the War was a messy story of choices and repercussions. Families divided and strangers reconciled. And perhaps this legacy persists as American conviction and European relativity...in films as well as foreign policy?

We finally arrived in Copenhagen. The last screening of the tour took place in a stunning theater called Byens Lys in the squatted free zone of Christiania (www.christiania.org). Built on the ground floor of an old factory, the cinema felt like a temple. White sand for a floor, two huge candelabras on either side of the screen, vaulted ceilings. And even though the organizer didn't bother to show up, an impressive crowd of about 70 people filled the seats. I couldn't have asked for a better finale.

I didn't even mind that the formal discussion fizzled. Two guys did approach me to offer their enthusiasm. One of them described the film as "Pure resistance culture." The other guy admitted that he anticipated trainhopping to be some kind of extreme sport. Neither of them knew much about hobos and this highlights one of the themes of distributing CATCHING OUT that is consistent in Europe and America.

People who know little or nothing about trainhopping tend to be the most enthusiastic viewers. I think it's because they experience a shift of perspective that is similar to the first time a person hops a train. But these audiences are difficult to cultivate because most viewers are attracted to documentary films primarily by the topic. A frustrating dilemma.

Otherwise, the tour convinced me that the divide between Europe and America is becoming a deep chasm. Even previously unambiguous concepts like freedom and democracy have acquired a negative connotation in the context of corporate globalization and American imperialism. Nuances within American culture and the American populace are lost in a sea of animosity.

But screening CATCHING OUT seemed to have the intended effect of communicating an alternative vision of America, and viewers embraced the subversive patriotism portrayed in the film. This success fuels my desire to continue to promote the sharing of stories across political climates and social cultures.

And a big thank you to Scott Beibin and the Lost Film Fest (www.lostfilmfest.com) for blazing the trail in Europe and beyond.