A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile

I generally like watching offbeat slightly self-interested art pieces. This however was an endeavor to push myself to actually finish watching. The beginning story premise was interesting and the social topic was relevant and historical. Then it decided to veer into a direction that I would best describe as kinetic. It flipped from a narrative view to actual newscasts of the events. The entire tone of the piece changes and it left me wondering. Was the filmmaker really intending to make a documentary or did they really want to make it more into a docudrama. The elements are there to make this into a blockbuster movie given the right treatment. You have an exotic local, a highly charged political climate, social relevance, romance and a great plot hook. But as it stands now I couldn't recommend this movie.

Greetings again from the darkness – from the Dallas International Film Festival. Social Media has changed so much about society: how information is dispersed, how we present ourselves, how we argue points of view, and even how relationships are structured. This documentary from Sophie Deraspe explores each of these points by dissecting a real world chain of events.

With events taking place during Syria's Arab Spring of 2011, Amina Arraf started a blog entitled "A Gay Girl in Demascus", where she wrote about both the dangers of being a lesbian in Syria, and the larger societal issues being faced by the populace living in the shadows of a dominating government regime. Her brave words garnered many followers, while also instigating an online romance with Sandra from Canada.

A few months later, Amina's blog entries suddenly halt and the concern from Sandra and other readers spreads to international media outlets. Ms. Deraspe offers an interesting blend of styles in her approach. On one hand, some of the first images we see come across as a deep artsy film; and then next thing we are getting is talking head interviews with reporters and other concerned followers mixed with actual TV newscasts from the period.

In order to avoid any spoilers, suffice to say that the story comes in two distinct parts. The second half provides some fascinating psychological studies in regards to trust and narcissism, while also forcing us to further question the complacency of news outlets in this new age of readily available information. As the proverbial onion layers are peeled back, we can't help but wonder who can be trusted and what steps are sufficient for verification.

Probably the biggest takeaway stems from the realization of just how easily we are manipulated and distracted by media outlets who determine what is "news" (what brings ratings) and what can be overlooked … the often more serious topics such as the Syrians who are still "dying in the dark". This excellent documentary will provide no shortage of material for discussion and soul-searching.