YEAR 2014
SECTION World Cinema Documentary Competition
COUNTRY Sweden/Denmark
RUN TIME 75 min
The sex offender label is a scarlet letter in the United
States. Individuals given this designation are relegated to a life of public
shame, their photos posted online for all to see, with few opportunities for
redemption. Only a small number of facilities, such as the beaten-down trailer
park at the center of Frida and Lasse Barkfors’ unflinching new film, offer
people the chance to confront their crimes and re-integrate—as much as the law
will allow—into society. Although the formal title of the place is Florida
Justice Transitions, local neighbors have nicknamed it “Pervert Park.” Within
this outcast community, a handful of offenders tell searing personal stories
that paint a troubling portrait of abuse and justice in America. Pervert Park
seeks neither to forgive nor defend its subjects, some of whom have committed
acts so atrocious they cannot even forgive themselves, but it does question the
severity of laws designed to stifle rather than rehabilitate those yearning for
a second chance. —H.V.
COMPANY Ginsberg/Libby
WEBSITE http://ginsberglibby.com/
Sex Offender Stigma: Barkfors Take Taboo Tour
By Amanda Yam on January 29, 2015
It’s not an easy subject to broach let alone discuss. The
scarlet letter burns bright as sex offenders attempt to navigate a world that
scorns and condemns them. With crimes ranging from offensive to heinous, their
stories break the silence that detains them to the outskirts of the world to
which they used to belong. Frida and Lasse Barkfors’ Pervert Park is an
intimate look at a specific group of sex offenders who live in a compound where
they cope with their inner demons and past transgressions in the attempt to
preserve remnants of their humanity.
Aptly named, Pervert Park follows a group of sex offenders who live in a trailer park (Florida Justice Transition) while adjusting to their new social statuses post-incarceration. The compound was first created by Nancy Morais’ desire to help her son find housing after he was deemed a sexual offender. What started as a solution to an individual problem grew into a communal asylum where there is a cultivated mutual understanding between the residents who live with as much freedom as they possibly can. They undergo group therapy, speak about probation, and even attend barbeques. Their broken backgrounds affixed together create a safe haven–far from idyllic yet the best that they can hope for.
A veteran resident, William Fuery, who helps maintain the park, is one of the more prominent subjects. His story, which includes a family tragedy and his own abuse from his parents and babysitter, contains a level of honesty, which arises only from years of self-examination, torment, and ultimately acceptance. Tracy Hutchinson’s gut-wrenching story also helps reinforce a familiar cyclical pattern that reappears throughout. Though there are different subjects, their collective willingness to share is so indicative to just how muted their voices are.
As first time directors, Frida and Lasse Barkfors approach their subjects generously. There is no shying away from details nor do they feel heightened for dramatic effect. Like the park itself, the Barkfors offer a safe platform for the offenders to share their stories as unadulterated as they come. The subjects are on their own personal journeys whether it be towards reconciliation or redemption.
The Scandinavian produced documentary does not condemn but
it also does not force empathy. In fact, the offenders’ profiles are displayed
which include their personal details, ones that could easily be found from a
quick Internet search. It is a reminder that these offenders have indeed
committed a crime but that there is depth beyond their portraits and vice
versa. Consisting of expected talking heads and a bit of wondering around as
the residents pass through the compound (many are restricted due to house
arrest), despite the predictable approach, Pervert Park allows the subjects and
their stories to come to light for what they are, and for who they are.
Reviewed on January 28th at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival – World Cinema Documentary Competition – 77 Mins.
See more at:
Additional links:
18 hours ago | Variety - Film
News | See recent Variety -
Film News news »
Peter Debruge: Here we are, approaching the end of the
Sundance Film Festival, and let me just say, having spent the last year
attending festivals abroad, I miss American independent cinema, far too little
of which lands overseas distribution. Sundance is the place where we can all stock
up on all those squirrely, hard-to-categorize movies that come out between the
blockbusters and cookie-cutter releases the rest of the year, and this year’s
bounty leaves me optimistic — and for more reasons than just sheer
entertainment value.
This is the most diverse Sundance lineup I can remember,
featuring new films from black, Asian and Lgbt filmmakers set in their
respective communities (“Dope,”
“Seoul Searching” and “I Am
Michael”), and while hardly a minority — except in Hollywood — a wealth of
films directed by women, including the terrific, sexually liberated
coming-of-age movie “The Diary of a Teenage Girl.”
But more interesting than that »
- Peter Debruge, Scott Foundas and Justin Chang
29 January 2015 6:00 PM, PST | ioncinema | See recent ioncinema news »
Sex Offender Stigma: Barkfors Take Taboo Tour
It’s not an easy subject to broach let alone discuss. The scarlet letter burns bright
as sex offenders attempt to navigate a world that scorns and condemns them.
With crimes ranging from offensive to heinous, their stories break the silence
that detains them to the outskirts of the world to which they used to belong.
Frida and Lasse Barkfors’ Pervert Park is an intimate
look at a specific group of sex offenders who live in a compound where they
cope with their inner demons and past transgressions in the attempt to preserve
remnants of their humanity.
Aptly named, Pervert
Park follows a group of sex offenders who live in a trailer park (Florida
Justice Transition) while adjusting to their new social statuses
post-incarceration. The compound was first created by Nancy Morais’ desire to
help her son find housing after he was deemed a sexual offender. »
- Amanda Yam
28 January 2015 8:53 AM, PST | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Do sex offenders get a bad rap? Would you want a sex
offender as a neighbor, around your children? These questions are seemingly
easy to answer. When someone gets convicted of a sex offense, they become defined
by the crime by law and by society; their motivations are left unquestioned due
to the devastating nature of the crime. "Pervert Park" offers a
fresh and notably controversial perspective on the subject, as it explores the
humanity of the offenders in question. Documentarians Frida and Lasse Barkfors take us into the
Florida Justice Transitions, a private community that houses over one hundred
sex offenders. Founded by Nancy Morais, mother of a convicted sex offender, the
private institution provides homes for those who couldn't find a place to live
after they were convicted. The residents, both men and women, have developed a
tightknit community, bonded by their similar situations as they learn to »
- Sterlin Johnson
23 January 2015 6:52 PM, PST | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
"Pervert
Park" is a film that follows a group of sex offenders as they struggle
to integrate back into society. It's a hard look at some of the hardest to look
at criminals, and with this documentary, Frida and Lasse Barkfors manage to pull
off the deceptively difficult task of portraying both the offenders and their
offenses in as truthful and unflinching manner as possible. What's your film
about, in 140 characters or less?It’s about Florida Justice Transitions -
a trailer park in which a group of sex offenders try to reintegrate into
society. Now, what's it Really about?It’s about crimes that are often too
painful or uncomfortable to discuss and about the stigma that comes with it.
It’s about the people behind the crimes, people that no one wants as a
neighbor, and therefore have been moved out of our society. Although many of
their crimes are unspeakable, »
- Rosie Narasaki
23 January 2015 8:00 AM, PST | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news
»
First-ime feature filmmaking couple Frida and Lasse Barkfors set their sights
on unraveling the taboo yet widespread condition of the sex offender in Pervert Park. At the Florida
Justice Transitions trailer park in St. Petersburg, the film’s ostracized
subjects work towards societal reintegration through group therapy and
unflinching self-reflection. Filmmaker spoke to the Barkfors about building
relationships with guarded subjects, objectivity, and how they first came
across Fjt. Pervert Park has
its North American premiere in the World Documentary Competition at the
Sundance Film Festival tonight. Filmmaker: As Scandinavians, how did you
come across Florida Justice Transitions, and what led […] »
- Sarah Salovaara
