Every year, I force myself to see at least one war-time documentary. And while these are some of the most disturbing films I see, it humanizes war in a way that I don't really comprehend through other news outlets. In the past, it's been Restrepo, Blood Trail, Waltz with Bashir, and Taxi to the Dark Side. This year, it was Armadillo, which follows a Danish platoon in Afghanistan as part of the peacekeeping mission. But what filmmaker Janus Metz could have never known was that he was filming a situation that would come under fire for breaking rules of engagement. It shows death, carnage, boredom, porn, camaraderie, and a willingness from almost every solider to go back after their six-month tours were complete. 

The most innovative and interesting screening of the weekend came on Sunday morning during the Weird Wake Up. Brent Green's Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then showed with a live narration and soundtrack performed by Brent and his band after a tasty communal breakfast from Cafe Berlin. It's difficult to describe, so I would definitely advise watching the trailer above. But here's the gist: Leonard Wood, a hardware store worker by day and a self-taught architect on the side, gets it in his mind that he needs to build a house in order to save his terminally ill wife—to build it up toward the heavens. The result? A ramshackle building that exudes passion and a full heart. A talented musician and filmmaker without a doubt, Brent's true talent lies in constructing a compelling narrative. Literally, he built the house on his property in Pennsylvania. And since the film uses a very distinct stop-motion animation, you can see his hand in all of it. 


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