LAST SUPPER (2005, Bigert & Bergstrom, A+)

The documentary film LAST SUPPER (2005, Bigert & Bergstrom, Sweden, A+) is shown at Conference of Birds Gallery from 12 August – 3 September 2008.

The information below is from Conference of Birds Gallery:
http://www.conferenceofbirds.com


“The last supper has been given to prisoners facing the death penalty as long as the punishment has existed. The tradition stems from funeral rites where the deceased person was given food on his deathbed to protect him on his journey to the afterlife. Today, the ritual of giving the last supper to the condemned person has been de-tached from its origin, and can be perceived to be as absurd as the punishment it accompanies.

Last Supper focuses on this discrepancy between historical "meaning" and contemporary use of a tradition that has lost its connection with the past.

The film mixes documentary material with sculptural installations and animated graphics. The main character is the former death row chef Brian Price, who reconstructs one of the 200 final meals that he prepared during his time as inmate in Huntsville State Prison, Texas, US.


The film was shot during 2004 in the US, Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Kenya, South Africa and Sweden. Last Supper is projected in "The Blue Sky Room", a reconstruction of a witness room for an execution chamber.
”

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I like this film a lot, though I have trouble listening to the prison’s chef in this film, as my English listening comprehension is very bad.

I also saw another documentary about capital punishment in July. It is called UN ABOLITIONNISTE (2001, Joel Calmettes, France, A+++++). I like the style of this film very much. It just uses voiceover and slides, but can captivate my attention completely. The film also shows us the image of the slide machine many many times, and I like it a lot.

As for my own opinion on capital punishment, I can’t make up my mind whether I support it or not. I think abolishing capital punishment may be a good thing, because many innocent people are wrongly convicted, so as long as they haven’t been executed, they still have a chance to prove their innocence if some evidence comes up. But as for some serial killers who are not wrongly convicted, I think they deserve their death sentence. Yes, I am a merciless person. :-)