Things That Left Me Shook: Louisiana Love

       I really enjoyed My Louisiana Love for many reasons. The main reason was that it felt more like a home movie than an actual film. This gave the film an extra sense of credibility because it didn’t feel like a movie with a message even though it was a movie with a message. The videography helped create a homey feel in order to get the audience to connect with the characters and their journey before, during, and after Katrina. The way the footage was cut together as day to day life also added to that homey feel, and made the audience feel like they were a part of the family, which made the journey they went through even more heart wrenching and depressing. The death of her husband and her father, combined with the destruction if her grandmother’s home created a devastating scene that nobody in the audience would ever be able to fight through. I believe that including those scenes in her film not only gave her more credibility, but also highlighted several isssues that many people after Katrina felt. It showed the raw emotions many people can relate to after any kind of emotional distress and damage and it caused the film to feel more real, raw, and powerful. There was no moment in the film that I was not giving my full attention because of how the story drew you in and never let you go.
       What I found to be most interesting in the interview with Monique is her refusal to accept the term activist, and I think that it plays very well with her cinematography of the film. The film is all about how this is her family, and how in her family they have connections to each other and do what they have to do to make sure everyone is ok. With the context of the film, it makes sense for her to refuse the title of climate activist because to her all she is doing is what anyone else would do in her situation.