Welfare

A masterwork of documentary film making. The second of Wiseman's truly cinematic films. A compelling story of the institution that is the welfare system as told through the actions of those serving and those dependent on the State. Any one could make a documentary if immersed in such a rich Kafka context, but only Wiseman could make the viewer pleasantly surprised when someone beaten down earlier in the film is seen walking by (still persisting against the State) in the background an hour later.

Affecting presentation of the endless Kafkaesque maze expected to be navigated by those least able to do so, and the staff who either try to work around that impossible bureaucracy in order to provide the best care they can manage or else use it to hide from their responsibilities. Viewed on the same day as trying to make a claim with Centrelink, it was clear that those populating Wiseman's documentary were much worse off, but at least they weren't faced with the horror of online applications.

One of Wiseman's most poignant works, "Welfare" is a fly-on-the-wall exposition of a welfare office in New York, showing the interactions between the needy coming to get assistance and generally well-meaning beaurocrats who are dogged by rigid, restrictive regulations and do not always provide the cheques people need to survive.

The very real bureaucratic hoops and hurdles placed to systematically discourage and confuse the unwashed masses takes away much of the humor associated with the word 'Kafka-esque".

So simple yet so powerful. It's a timeless classic that touches upon the basic structure and (in)complexities of the welfare system. In a day, Wiseman fits the great tragedies of so many people so brilliantly, and the striking thing is that they are only the very few of them, and the system almost never goes in the right direction.

A magnificent use of the documentary form, Wiseman's Welfare is the second picture I've seen from him and is even better than Titicut Follies, which I liked a lot. The portrayal of the Kafkaesque welfare system in New York in 1973 illuminates the issues with the system without adding any commentary of his own (outside of editing and content choices, etc.) The camera simply observes. It shows the impossible difficulties of the clients and workers (who are sympathetic to various degrees.) Great.

I tend not to enjoy Wiseman's documentaries but his focus on aggravating circular conversations actually enforce the movie's message here: the system to acquire assistance is set up to torture society's most vulnerable citizens.

"...comes as close as anybody to the MYTH of direct cinema..." http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/03/episode-52-frederick-wisemans-vision.html

As you'd expect from Wiseman, a complex and commentaryless portrait of the welfare system in the 70s. It does at times make one wonder how much playing for the camera there is, and it barely scratches the surface the myriad of situations of those involved (not that it's trying to), but as an overview that gives a glimpse of the scope and complexity involved and how many hurdles there may be for those seeking assistance it's fantastic.

Out of the work of Wiseman's I've been able to see, the subjects with much more dialogue between people are the best films for me. This is the closest to an epic for documentaries; Wiseman is able to take small everyday conversations - such as a black woman left confused by the machinations of Social Security - and make them as exhausting and emotionally complex as an hour long skirmish would be in a war film. The word Kafka-esque is fitting, but this reality feels far more haphazard.