Ginny Martin and Kate Browne, Producers. Still Waiting: Life After Katrina. C. 2007. Reviewed by Heather Nicholson. For the Journal of Southern Religion.
Media reports of the devastation in
Still Waiting: Life After Katrina follows one multi-generational family of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and children who fled St. Bernard’s Parish, Louisiana, to Dallas, Texas, before the storm and chronicles their lives as they look back at their history, deal with the devastating losses, and attempt to restore hope and rebuild homes and communities. This documentary film provides an intimate look at one family’s loss and how Katrina fractured not only their individual lives but also an entire communal system of values, culture and heritage.
Filmmaker Ginny Martin and anthropologist Kate Browne co-produced
the documentary in order to examine three main matriarchal characters post
Katrina, tracing the decisions each makes in the wake of Katrina and the consequences
of these choices on their lives. One
fundamental issue Martin and Brown focus on is the decision of whether or not
to return to
But for others in the film, going
back home is too difficult. Returning to
the devastating loss of homes, churches, schools and businesses only brings
despair and remorse. Home resembles a
“third world country” and bears the painful reminder of what has been lost. Home is no longer a place where everyone
clusters with children and grandchildren near or where neighbors drop in for
conversation or family and friends, for food.
Dr. Watson, a mental health educator from the
Can the rebuilding process mend this rupture in the communal system? As the documentary progresses, this question becomes a central focus. The brief “feeling of elation” upon returning home to rebuild soon turns to bitter resentment and frustration as promises go unmet. Residents find little solace in living in mobile homes in the midst of scarce jobs, racist employment practices and unkept promises about aid for the rebuilding efforts. African American residents return home with the will, spirit and commitment to work towards bettering their community and lives only to feel dejected by the government’s failure to adequately respond to their needs.
Martin and Browne’s documentary allow us to revisit Katrina
and to fully understand the extent to which the disaster has destroyed the
lives of individuals and their communities.
It also raises important questions and poignantly underscores the
failure of the
Some viewers will likely find frustrating the film’s
extensive focus on a single family network.
This approach helps to focus the audience’s attention on the major issue
at hand— the people who have been affected, instead of becoming mired in policy
issues, media reports and politics. This documentary style while instructive
does not allow the audience a better understanding of the cultural and
historical significance of
Heather Nicholson