Right after John Kerry lost the election last year, my e-mail was buzzing with anguish, frustration and dread. Frankly, we were trying to understand why half of our fellow Americans made such a damaging choice for our country.
One e-mail, in particular, stuck in my mind. I'm sure I received it within a week or two of the election. It was from my cousin (by marriage), Eric Anderson. He and his wife, Amy Dellos, shared in the dismay over the election, particularly its acrid polarization. They decided they wanted to explore it further through a documentary film. (I've blogged a bit about them before.)
From those early days of frustration, an amazing project has grown called Red, White & Blue: A Tale of Two Americas. They have about 18 interviews in the can, and more on the way. They've also started a blog, called "A Tale of Two Americans: Eric Anderson & Amelia Dellos Run Down a Dream."
Here's a sample post from the blog. It's an excerpt of what Eric e-mailed to one of his friends and financial backers:
That's the thing --- the one thing that really struck me about RWB is, in most documentaries, the "panel of experts" aren't very memorable. You remember the overall tone of the film, but if you were asked to pick the faces of the interviewees out of a lineup, you couldn't.
But for "Red, White & Blue"...these are people that audiences will remember and won't be able to stop talking about. Their honesty has been striking. The moments we had the opportunity to capture ranged from raw anger, to deep pathos, to over-the-top hilarity, and Amelia and I felt a great bond with everyone we spoke with. I find myself going over the weekend in my head again and again.
If the energy from the room translates to the screen --- and I think it will --- it bodes very, very well for the rest of the project.
Stay tuned.
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