Punishment Park (1971, Peter Watkins)

 

The Vietnam War, the murders of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the student protests, and the repression by the right-wing hardliners of the Nixon administration culminated in a cinematic confrontation in the form of Punishment Park.

Punishment Park hits home because it's not just about the United States of America. But because it is a horrific picture of a dictatorial state power that can neither be overcome with open insurrection nor with deliberate logic.

Watkins through the events that happens in eponymous Punishment Park symbolises the exercise of power by the state, the perversion of law and order and the impotence of the citizens.

I read Watkins did not rehearse, the actors met for the first time in the negotiation, and everyone involved improvised the event, the scenes hence seem extremely realistic.
At the same time, Watkins is committing a highly subversive act here: amateur actors were encouraged to express their personal political opinions - thus Watkins not only made a critical film but also dared to provide the oppressed citizens with a platform for political statements in the midst of social escalation to give.

And despite its exemplary nature and the many sub-texts, this film also proves to be an extremely gripping and disturbing film experience, because Watkins uses the narrative form of mockumentary and we experience the event through the subjective camera.

A subversive masterpiece that unfortunately will have a long-lasting effect and will arouse indignation even in the future. The Vietnam War may be over, the film may end but given the current global tendencies towards nationalism and conservative politics, Watkins' work seems more relevant than ever.

I'd like to see a day when the political relevance of this film becomes zero. But at this point, it's nothing more than naive wishful thinking.