Film: Hearts and Bones
A Film About a Unique Friendship between a War Photographer and a Refugee
If you are obsessed with photography like me, watching films with photography themes is essential entertainment. Films can provide creative insights into image design elements like lighting, colour palette, composition etc; however, when the film is about fictional or real photographers, they may also offer inspiration about the life and work of the protagonist. Not many people understand the drive or passion behind photographers to capture images and life, and it seems somewhat strange to outsiders that pointing a mechanical device at subjects and pressing a button could hold such an obsession. The Australian film Hearts and Bones (2019) delves into the mindset of a war photographer and his life challenges. Set in Sydney, my hometown, the film is about the developing friendship between a war photographer, Daniel Fisher (Hugo Weaving) and a South Sudanese refugee and taxi driver, Sabastian Ahmed (Andrew Luri). The men are both living through the difficulties of PTSD, with Dan suffering from the violence he has witnessed as a war photographer and Sebastian, who lived the experience in his home village and fled South Sudan after the murder of his wife and children. Sebastian hears Dan being interviewed on the radio about an upcoming exhibition of his work and locates the photographer’s address through his website. They meet when Sebastian knocks on Dan’s door to ask if he would not include the images he took of the village massacre that killed his family, claiming it is too painful to expose the atrocity and that he and his community are trying to forget the horror. Sebastain’s request challenges Dan’s morality after recent criticism of his work was described as profiting from people’s suffering and being described as ‘misery porn’.
The contradiction between photographers bearing witness to world atrocities to bring public attention to the violence and profiting from such events is a real-life dilemma that several war photographers and photojournalists have been subjected to. The lack of support for photographers and refugees to deal with their mental health is also borne out in the film, which cuts pretty close to how PTSD suffering extends to their families and how healing is entirely up to the individual to resolve. As a result of their PTSD, both Dan and Sebastian withhold some aspects of their pain from their spouses, which then manifests in a level of secrecy that causes further relationship issues with their partners. The clever tension in the film is how the new friendship between Dan and Sabastian develops, with both men suffering from their experiences but from two different perspectives: photographer and refugee. Dan tries hard to hold onto his belief that his work will make a difference to humanity, and Sebastian tries to start a new life with a new family.
Hearts and Bones (2019) is co-written and directed by Ben Lawerence, a photographer, screenwriter, producer and director whose knowledge of photography provides some insightful perspectives on the film's plot. The contemporary moral complexities of war photography and its broader harm to affected people are brilliantly written into the script. It is beautifully filmed, and while the film is a fictional account, its gritty portrayal of the issues associated with photojournalism hits a nerve, especially the effects of PTSD and the moral issues associated with capturing this type of subject matter. The acting performances are superb, including the supporting actors Bolude Watson and Haley McElhinney, playing the spouses of the men. Hugo Weaving won Best Actor for his role at the 2020 Fargo Film Festival.
Hearts and Bones is available from on-demand streaming services and is essential viewing. It is a great film every photographer should watch!
Written by Glenn Porter 10 August 2024
