Re: Lost Highway, lost opportunity

May 08, 2014

This past week the long awaited and much anticipated documentary production of 'The Lost Highway' aired on TVO. While the production by film makers and producers Derreck Roemer and Neil Graham took four years of filming and editing, it unfortunately represents a major disappointment to area residents.

Certainly Roemer and Graham are to be commended on some aspects of the film. The filming and editing processes have been very well-done, resulting in an entertaining production of strong, technical merit.

There are however, some major concerns with the film, primarily in terms of the disparities between the producers' stated original intent and the final result.

Roemer and Graham chose to focus on the plight of two families rather than dealing with the larger issue of the economic realties and difficulties faced by all residents along the subject stretch of highway. Other than some perceptive comments from Arden resident Sarah Hale, not much insight was provided into the communities themselves.

The coverage of these two families emphasized their internal predicaments rather than the social and economic context of the area. In both cases the camera coverage became progressively intrusive and it was painful to watch as difficulties in relationships and communications grew increasingly evident to viewers.

The message seemed to be that the area offers only despair along with much disrepair. This is only a partial picture of our area and its people. Despite difficult economic circumstances our communities are alive and vibrant in so many ways, and this is because of the indomitable pride and spirit of many local residents.

By focusing on a broader base the producers could have captured a more legitimate picture, one that better represented the residents of the communities along the highway. The film could have included the efforts from so many others to confront and overcome those same economic circumstances as they work together in seeking to provide for their families and improve their communities.

Unfortunately for both our communities and for its producers, this film represents a lost opportunity.

Terry Kennedy, Friends of Arden