Home On The Range

Winner of a CINE Golden Eagle award and a Gold Apple from the National Educational Film & Video Festival, this documentary, filmed primarily in 1987, and narrated by James Whitmore and Lou Diamond Phillips, ostensibly tells the story of the islands in the Kwajelein Atoll, and the islanders on Ebeye in particular. Relocated some three decades ago by the military, the 9,000 islanders now live in overcrowded and chaotic circumstances. The focus of the film is on the controversy surrounding the renewal of the U.S. military's lease on the islander's land. Protestors are interviewed, as are military officials, but it is nearly impossible to get a bead on what writer/director Adam Horowitz is trying to say in the film. A soundtrack of singing children accompanies shots of missile launches towards the general dumping ground of the atoll, suggesting a sympathy for the plight of the islanders, while in other scenes young adult islanders complain about the problems the U.S. has brought as they sit smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. A wise axiom has it that you can give people food, shelter, or clothing, but not all three at once. The obvious evolution of what happened to the islanders who were basically paid off in return for their land is neither made clear nor fully explored. In the closing moments of the program, a young boy is seen walking a dusty road carrying a boom box which is playing Cyndi Lauper's hit single "Money Changes Everything." In my opinion, when the most trenchant observation in a film comes from the lyrics of a pop song, I think it's safe to say that we're looking at a surface treatment of the subject matter. This dated (there are numerous references to "Star Wars") and simplistic award-winner is not a necessary purchase. (Available from: The Video Project, 5332, College Ave., Suite 101, Oakland, CA 94618.)