Interview: At the Death House Door

Posted on May 27, 2008 at 8:00 am

At the Death House Door is an extraordinary documentary from the makers of “Hoop Dreams.” It is the story of Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served 15 years as the death house chaplain to the infamous “Walls” prison unit in Huntsville. He spent the last 24 hours with 95 different men who were about to be executed. After each was killed, Pickett recorded an audiotape account of his trip to the death chamber. Through his experiences, including the witnessing of the execution of a man later proven to be innocent, he became convinced that the death penalty was wrong. The film premieres on May 29 at 9:00 PM Eastern on the Independent Film Channel.

I spoke to Pastor Pickett about his experiences:

How did you first come to work at the prison?

I was minister of a Presbyterian church in Huntsville Texas. During the time I was at that church they had a prison siege and the director called me and said, “I want you to minister to the families of those who were hostages. For 11 days and nights they were held hostage and then they had a big shoot out across the street. The only ones killed were two of my church members. I was planning to do one’s wedding the next Saturday. Then in 1980 the same guy who called me asked me to come work at the prison for one year. I went for one year. I didn’t sign any papers but I stayed there 16 years. God had prepared me back in 1974 to go to the prison. I went there believing this was God’s will. I felt like God wanted me to be there. As it says in the Bible, “I was in prison and you came to me.”

What surprised you about the prison experience?

The biggest thing that surprised me that there were so many nice people who were willing to participate in the program, so many who were Christians who had, for lack of a better term, left the fold. There were so many victimless crimes, so many who were innocent, so many who had made financial mistakes.

What did you try to teach them?

We helped them understand that it is happier and better to live the way God wants you to — whatever religion you are. We had Catholics, 26 Jewish people — we had the first seder in the prison. In prison you can still practice your faith, and I was so happy many of them were really willing to give a lot. There were a lot of people who were good but had made mistake. I don’t believe in rehabilitation, but these people had changed. one night had changed me. So many of them got out. Close to 100 who used to be in prison are now ministers.

What did you use to reach these people?

I believe that the music is so important. So many people are musicians and express themselves musically. We started a choir. We had a different one for the Catholics because they sing different songs, one for the Hispanics, a gospel for the black prisoners. One of the requirements was that in order to be a part of the choir they had to maintain all the rules, they had to work, they had to participate in all the activities. One former back up singer for Don Ho was one of my singers, a state Supreme Court justice was one of my singers. I was permitted to give points for parole for those who participated.

Did the prisoners help each other?

Yes! The prisoners ministered to each other. We had 28 ministers in prison. Ministers go to prison too. We had a father and son who were missionaries in South America. The mother died and the father got real angry at God, so they became bank robbers. And a lot of ministers get framed.

Tell me about your work with the men on death row.

I was chaplain for the people in the death house. I only got to see them on the last day, the way it was set up. I stayed with them usually from 6 am to 12 midnight. We used to execute them at 12. After helping 95 walk the gurney and get killed by the state, I concluded that there are innocent people being put to death and there are mentally retarded. Because of the “law of parties,” there are those who are guilty by law but not by crime. The one who actually did the crime got off and the other one was executed.

Carlos De Luna was innocent, we proved he was innocent. He had no father, his father left him and his stepfather was a drunk. On that last day, I took care of him all day long and we got along real well. I told him I believed he was innocent and he said, “I wish everybody else did.” That afternoon he asked, “Can I call you Daddy? That is different than being called “Father.” I have a son the same age. That changed the whole attitude in the death house, that night, letting him call me that. Carlos said, “Thank you Daddy. Thanks for being with me, Daddy. I wish I had you when I was a boy — I would never have been a problem at all.” He asked, “Daddy, would you pray?” He was in the cell, on his knees. I put my hands through the bars. That is illegal but I did not pay attention to those rules. While they strapped him to the gurney he said, “Daddy, I appreciate you being here today.” I never will forget those big brown eyes looking at me. He kept looking up. I don’t know what he was trying to say. I was hoping he would say, “Thank you, Daddy.” That’s the way I would like to believe. He was a good kid. I would have taken him home forever.

IFC has made available teaching materials about the movie.

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Interview: Son of Rambow

Posted on May 11, 2008 at 8:00 am

Imagine Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn making a movie in 1970’s England. Add a touch of Peter Pan, “The Goonies,” and Sylvester Stallone and you begin to get the idea behind “Son of Rambow,” a completely adorable film about two young boys who are so dazzled by Stallone’s “Rambo” that they decide to make their own sequel. Based in part on the childhood of writer/director Garth Jennings, it is a completely charming love letter to movies, to childhood, and most of all to the power of imagination and the pleasure of story-telling. I spoke to Jennings and his long-time colleague and producer, Nick Goldsmith.

I’d like to start with how you found these marvelous young actors.

GJ: The kids are amazing and they’re the reason that it worked. It’s hard to find good young child actors. These had never acted or done anything before. It took us five months to find them. It was an instant decision when we found them. They were both self-confident but not arrogant, and just thought it would be fun to do. Putting them together was like a blind date. But kids find it easier to form friendships than adults. We got them together and made a short film with them in my back garden for them to meet us and each other. We knew from that day we were all going to get on.

The second day of the shoot we had to film the beginning and the end of the movie. I wondered how easy it would be for Will (Poulter, who plays Lee Carter) to show emotion. It was glorious. They had the best time. They spent their whole school holiday being action heroes in movies.

How did you first begin to work together?

NG: We met at art college in 1990 or 91. We took this art foundation course, when you get to try out all the different forms of art. It was the best year you’ll ever have, experimenting with everything. We both ended up doing graphic design, then started making music videos. It was three years before we set up as a proper company. We started writing film scripts, eight years ago.

GJ: I started making films when I was 11 and the first one I ever made was inspired by “First Blood. Rambo was so self-sufficient, so exciting; he sews up his own wounds and takes on 200 men. It was everything you ever wanted from a film. It was the beginning of my liking making movies.

What was it like to adapt that experience into a screenplay?

GJ: As we worked on it, it was clear we had to add more dramatic structure. Making Will a kid who was so isolated from media and giving both of the boys some family issues gave the story more momentum.

NG: It had a feel-good factor, one of those films where you go out with a smile on your face, just feeling good about something.

One thing I especially loved in the film is that from the very beginning you get this sense of confidence that the boys are protected by the power of their imagination and passion. We know they are going to take all kinds of crazy risks but they are going to be fine.

GJ: That is how we felt about the memories of that time.

NG: You don’t know that it’s going to cause you harm.

GJ: We made it just a bit over the top so that people say, “Ah,” where you look back and say “That shouldn’t have worked.” But it did.

NG: We both had similar experiences, that complete lack of fear for consequences.

GJ: There is one very indulgent joke, when Lee Carter says, “We’re losing light,” as a professional director would, even though he could not have known that. But you can sort of get away with it. When you’re a kid you try to speak like the grown-ups do. They’re always saying things that are slightly too big for them.

Another highlight of the film is the French foreign exchange student, Didier.

GJ: Again, that is a slightly heightened version of our real experience. He is an amalgamation of all of our French exchange student experiences. We all grew up being part of a French exchange program. We both remembered them being these exotic creatures that would step off the bus and looked older than us and had great clothes that fit them perfectly, the boys our age always had a little moustache and seemed so much older and more sophisticated. But his character was so big that it was very easy to get carried away. We had to make sure not to let him dominate the story. He had to serve the friendship of the two boys. He showed them something all movie-makers learn — what happens when you get a star on board. It was nice to get something in that we knew about!

Was it a challenge to deal with the conflicts created by the very restrictive religious beliefs of Will’s family in the context of a light film like this one?

GJ: I grew up next door to a Plymouth Brethren family and the kids went to my school. My wife’s uncle teaches at a Plymouth Brethren school. A number of former members have written books and done interviews.

NG: In our story it was initially very peripheral. We are not trying to make a comment on religion. We wanted to get across on film what it feels like to see a film like “First Blood” for the first time for a creative kid. To give it to someone who has never seen anything before gives us a chance to show the impact. We are not belittling the religion. It was an amazing tool for us because it gave him everything he needed to have in order to change.

GJ: It creates a lovely dynamic between the two, one streetwise and and one religious.

NG: The religion is not the issue, the guy (one of the church leaders) is not right.

What are you working on next?

NG: Our next project is a jingle for a biscuit advert. And we’re writing animated film. We haven’t done that before.

GJ: We really loved making “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” but have no intention of ever doing it again. It’s like a great wedding day, fantastic, but never need to do it again. We don’t want to do another children starring movie but who knows?

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Interview: Geoff and Kristin Gembala on Family Communication

Posted on May 4, 2008 at 8:00 am

Geoff and Kristin Gembala help families communicate better. They exemplify their commitment to true heart-to-heart communication in an atmosphere of respect and focused attention, which makes talking to them a genuinely joyous and inspiring experience.

How did you get started?

Geoff: A couple of years ago a friend’s husband was battling cancer and was diagnosed terminal. This family and ours were in the carpool line talking about prayer and they said they prayed for our daughter who was dealing with some health issues. Kristin came home and told me that and we thought about how this family was about to lose the husband and father and they were taking time out of their life for us. How profound that was. We started that same ritual as a family, praying for others, and we awesomely loved doing that as a family. We thought it would wonderful to share that experience. It was hard to find materials for all age groups, so we created a light interactive book, Kids Chat God’s Spirit, that parents could read before bedtime prayer. And now thousands have been distributed.

Kristin: Just on the family values part of it, children give you their most valuable information at bedtime, the things that actually mean something. We need to find a way to talk about the things that matter or all we do is talk about the baseball schedule and what to wear the next day. We all need that communication.

What came next?

Geoff: We said, “Let’s do a marriage book.” People are tired and have very little time together. We wanted to show them how to use that time to cover the important information. Our whole theme is just communication and the niche we’ve tried to approach is short quick tidbits. We know busy families can find it tough to carve out half an hour or 45 minutes. And we want them to all be charitably based. That led to write the book and build the publishing company where the goal is to give away the profits.

Kristin: Our theme is change lives and give to others.

Geoff: The money from the first book went to the Pujols Family Foundation (he’s a player for the Cardinals and the foundation helps people with Down syndrome and their families) and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

What are some of the biggest challenges to effective communication that families face?

K: The way we’ve seen the world change even over the last decade, it’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. We’re so information filled. We’re smarter but we’re lonelier. Only 63 percent of American children grow up with both biological parents, the lowest figure in the western world.

Geoff: According to Divorce Magazine, fatherless homes account for 64 percent of youth suicide, 90 percent of homeless runaway children, 80 percent of children with behavior problems, 71 percent of high school dropouts, 81 percent of youth in prison, 50 percent of teen mothers. A lot of this is because both parents and children do not feel they have someone to talk to, someone to listen.

Kristin: We wanted to help couples talk about dreaming what does home mean, what are the mutual goals, how children are an added benefit and valley. They can read through something important and talk about it — and journal.

Geoff: The books I’ve gotten the most out of are the ones you have to reflect on. Very few people sit down and do things together anymore.

What example do children need to see in their parents?

Kristin: The greatest gift to give your children is your marriage. What they learn, how they are in the world socially, how they reflect on authority is what they get from you. We try to set an example of being respectful and being kind — we’re probably over the top!

Goeff: I went to a ball game with a friend recently and thought that just by admitting you like and respect your wife you feel you’re bragging, almost arrogant.

Kristin: One of the first signs a marriage is going backwards is talking badly about your spouse.

What has the response been to your work?

Kristin: They really appreciate the accessibility of it. It is written in a format so kids can draw on it, like a coloring book: what’s special to you, who coaches you.

Geoff: We did a seminar and people were grabbing more copies. There’s been a huge outpouring of thankfulness from people because it helps them increase their communication with their children. Many people don’t have anything to say to children because they don’t know how to talk to their children. But it’s not as difficult as people think.

What do parents need to remember about communicating with children?

Kristin: You have to go where their interests are. They’re all different. They have different interests and need different types of love. It is important to acknowledge them as their own person. They are not like each other and not like you. You have to keep at it, don’t ever give up. And remember even though they act like they don’t want to talk to you, they still need to, it’s your responsibility. They are not going to be perfect, but if you let them know you care and you listen to them you can stack the deck in their favor.

I lost my mother when I was young. For those of us fortunate enough to team parent, you have to be on the same page and the same wavelength, but also balance each other out.

Why has communication become so difficult?

Geoff: I blame it on technology. A friend of mine returns over 100 emails a day. We need more human contact. One thing I see with families and couples is that most people say they want a better relationship but don’t know how to get started. We help them to get started; where they go from there is up to them.

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Interview: Karen Osborne talks about treating Asperger Syndrome through Second Life

Posted on April 23, 2008 at 8:00 am

Karen Osborne is a research clinician at the University of Texas Center for Brain Health. Her background is in speech pathology. She is now coordinating the project that works on social skills and spoke to me about a new project that works with children and adults who have disabilities that impair their understanding of social cues and interactions, including Asperger syndrome, high functioning autism, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, and schizophrenia. They are using the online community Second Life to create an environment that gives these patients a way to test their social skills that gives them better feedback than previous treatments. It has been in development for two years and has been used with patients since last summer.
Tell me a little bit about your program and how it got started.
In the past, therapists have worked with autistic children through role playing, stories, and rules. But the brain changes not by learning rules but by engaging in activities. Sandy Chapman had the idea to use virtual reality to immerse the patients in the environments that are similar to real life. It is not really role playing because they become the character. It adds a little more realism to the therapy aspect. In role playing it is hard to get past the fact that you’re playing with the therapist, but in virtual reality it is more like meeting for the first time and building a relationship.
Second Life has some wild corners. How do you control the environment?
Right now we’re using a private and secure island on Second Life with only people we let in. Patients can log in and be part of it. They get to create a character that represents themselves as closely as possible.

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Interviews: The Visitor

Posted on April 10, 2008 at 4:00 pm

“The Visitor” is the new movie by writer/director Thomas McCarthy. Like his award-winning “The Station Agent,” it is the story of characters from different backgrounds and with different interests who must overcome loss, fear, and isolation to find a way to connect to each other. Richard Jenkins plays a professor of economics who leads an isolated life following the death of his wife until he meets two illegal immigrants, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) from Syria and his girlfriend Zainab (Danai Gurira) from Senegal. When Tarek is sent to a holding facility for detainees, Walter and Tarek’s mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbass) join forces to try to help him.

As with the earlier film, McCarthy involved his actors early in the process, working with them to develop the script. I spoke to McCarthy and the four stars of the film.

Who is the visitor? It seems that any or all of the four leading characters could be considered visitors.

Tom McCarthy: All of them are! Everybody in his own way is a visitor. Each of us is a visitor in his life in a way. Having the title in the singular gives the story a more individual touch. It is individual stories connecting to each other, nicer and more poetic.

Richard Jenkins: I think Walter is the visitor (laugh)! There is a program where you visit detainees. You can be a visitor to detainees you don’t know. That is how Tom was introduced to the detainees. So there is a lot of depth and complexity in that title.

Your character is a devoted mother but you do not share any screen time with your son. How do you convey that feeling?

Hiam Abbass: Sometimes it is so hard when you’re playing the mother of someone but you have no scenes with him, and still I had to believe. Out of the set we were such great friends, connected in a completely different level. I am not adult enough to be his mother in real life!

This is really how it connects. When I met Tom and he was writing he would ask me, â€œNot you but another traditional Arab woman in this situation, how would she react?â€ I was obliged to dig, forget modern ways of living, the way I live in Paris. There are so many things from you that you put in but limit them.

And your character is very reserved. You had to convey a great deal without using many words. Was that difficult?

Danai Gurira: It was very hard for me because I am a talker as these two know. I was playing a character who is a lot more still than I am. I am a kind of spastic energy type. It was refreshing to not be me in a way. I understood her. She lived in a world, where her experience was that running your mouth off is not beneficial as it has been for me. I enjoyed that transition, stepping into a stiller person’s skin. It added to the circumstances of the character. She’s the one who has dealt with the horrors Tarek’s now experiencing in a way that has made her more guarded and cautious. He is more exuberant. She does not feel powerful as the system exists.

Your character is exuberant, and he often expresses himself most fully through music. Are you also a musician?

Haaz Sleiman: I am a singer. Tarek and I had similar paths, very Arabic, moving from wherever you’re at to Michigan, moved to New York to pursue music. He represents the Arab culture, very welcoming, very hospitable. As soon as Walter lets them into the apartment, it’s almost as if he owes Walter his life. It is a natural thing for the friendship to grow. Music added depth and dimension to the relationship. And there is vulnerability in that, too.

What makes you laugh?
Hiam Abbass: Myself! If you can laugh at yourself you can laugh at other things. I work hard to have that distance from myself.

Danai Gurira: I laugh at her! The people I love make me laugh. There are different kinds of humor. Sometimes it is based in the idiosyncrasies of the culture, very specific to the world where people are coming form, sometimes universal. Some people who are bilingual can hook into my Zimbabwean humor quicker.

Hiam Abbass: From the first day, we have so much trust, that is important for laughter. The more you connect to different cultures, the more you develop your sense of humor in a universal way.

Haaz Sleiman: Making silly noises, cartoon-like, animal-like, being silly.

Why does music communicate so powerfully?

Haaz Sleiman: It always has, way back from when they were using bones, it’s another language.

Hiam Abbass: It’s a universal language, everyone gets it, feels it. It’s the least tampered with language, no motives rather than just connecting. You can be from two different cultures completely and love the same music, each for its own reasons.

Haaz Sleiman: The CD that Tarek gives Walter in the movie is the music of Fela Kuti. He is the Zimbabwean Jimi Hendrix, a great musician.

What do you want people to learn from this movie?

Haaz Sleiman: Embrace differences and be excited about the differences.

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