Two weeks ago, I downloaded the third episode of "Shark"'s first season. I also kept a few hours for a few days so I could watch the first eleven episodes, because I didn't have the time when "La Sexta" broadcasted them in Spain.
The series approach is quite simple, and it didn't seem more atractive to me than other lawyer's TV series -so I didn't try too hard in watching it on TV. That's it: Sebastian Stark's a winning defense lawyer that hasn't lost a single case in more than 15 years of career. His clients are rich assassins, psico executives, corrupt politicians and mafia-y businessmen. In short, Stark -nicknamed Shark by his colleagues- earns his paycheck by defending scum. His amorality has allowed him to live happily all those years, until he faces the consequences of his success with his own eyes and falls into a deep depression. When he's hired as special lawyer for the prosecution, Stark takes his best chance for redemption without even blinking.
As I said, that's quite usual, including the classic trial-per-episode frame, where the anglosaxon conception of trials as battles makes it interesting and entertaining.
However, when La Sexta aired "Shark" I didn't realize -Wikipedia solves most of those disinformation issues- who promoted the series by directing the pilot episode: Spike Lee. "How's possible" -I asked myself- "that Spike Lee has directed a lawyer's drama series, considering that its star is a misogynist, sexist and amoral prosecutor?".
The additional interest of the series becomes the very answer to this: using a hollywoody product -which is the most popular formula- and a main character that avoids making deep ethical statements -as every lead character of this kind of dramas, they always make decisions based on very primary interests and superficial explanations- they can introduce some left-winged, liberal and genuinely democratic -which means "the people decides"- ideas. Those ideas can slowly create a mass-conscience change. From my point of view, that's the kind of media product that left-wing parties need to promote in its now-inexistent cultural agendas, because it's the same technique that the rich classes use. That technique's the one that can transform aberrant behaviours like unstoppable corporatization and unresponded exploitation.
"The Broken Window". That's the title of the latest documentary I've seen, directed by Hammudi Al-Rahmoun and Eñaut Tolosa, which in 25 minutes reflexes really well the situation of three basque teenagers accused of "street terrorism" and their families.
As I was saying, the documentary offers some voice to one part of the basque society which also suffers many injustices. Those are different from those known by most of the people, but not lesser. Hammudi and Eñaut do that through the testimonials of three teenagers accused of acts of vandalism and aggression (assault on some jurisdictions) that wouldn't be serious charges in a democratic country. However, they're victims of uncountable injustices from the very first moment of accusation until -exacly the opposite way of doing things in a "law empire" country- they can prove their innocence.
In my opinion, films like this one would help the masses in understanding the exceptional situation of the Basque Country and Spain, so they would create a more proper clima for peace.
But al last, I think that it'd be better if you all watch the documentary and give everybody your opinion about the documentary, because I think that it's one of the best 2007's spanish documentaries. You can watch the trailer at YouTube and... Well, it's yet illegal but since it's quite difficult to find some commercial copies, you won't have any trouble finding the complete film at YouTube.
After three months without updating this blog, I thought myself that right now I would be writing here about anything else, like last projects I've been working in, a book that had opened my mind, or something like that. But I'm simply going to inform about me joining some new social networks. In two days, I'll be ending my last MBA (I'll talk about it then) class, so... Well, I should find some new job!
Ya hacía tiempo que lo tenía gracias a un regalo navideño pero hasta el pasado fin de semana no había visto el DVD de "Los mejores cortos de Terror y Suspense, Vol. 2" de la FNAC.
La verdad es que no sé si porque se guardan lo mejor para el final, o porque simplemente realmente no hay mucho nivel, pero de los 10 cortos del DVD ni a la mitad los clasificaría como "los mejores" que he visto.
2008 ACNetwork