Louis Theroux

gucci wrote: »

Top notch stuff once again by Louis, and remarkable people involved on all sides, patients, doctors and friends.
I did have a little childish chuckle when I thought Dantras doctor looked like

Chuck Norris!

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

I enjoyed tonight's documentary but I didn't think it was quite as good as A Place for Paedophiles.

I let out a guffaw when Louis asked Randy what he thought the women he exposed himself to felt and he said "concern". It was actually shocking how little thought he seemed to have given things. It was like no-one had ever sat him down and told him that his actions have negative consequences for those around him. He didn't seem interested in trying to discover why he enjoys this kind of attention from women, why he can't pursue more normal avenues of expressing attraction. Rather than going for the "permanent solution".

You have to feel bad for some of them but at the same time, I understand society's reluctance to trust them again. If you put someone in front of me who had robbed a shop with a gun as a young man and told me that they had been clean for 20 years and would not re-offend, I would be a lot quicker to believe that than if he had abused a child.

I think it's difficult for us to sympathise with or trust people who couldn't restrain themselves from putting their own desires above the wellbeing (mental or otherwise) of their victims.

What struck me was how blasé some of them were about their crimes. That young guy Louis met who lives in his van was like a child trying to impress his Dad or something. "Look how many pull-ups I can do, Dad".

The woman (Becky?) seems to have done everything possible to co-operate with law enforcement but I don't think I would trust her around my (fictional) kids. There are all sorts of difficult questions, like should she be allowed to be around her own son? I'd question the mental maturity of a woman who seeks an adult relationship with such a young boy and who considers him a replacement for her husband. An "affair", like DarkGlasses said.

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

I thought the guy who was running the hostel was a douche. His reasons for sexually abusing his own children were non-reasons. I didn't buy him or his rationalizing at all.

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

I felt somewhat sorry for the guy who was obsessed with exposing himself. He seemed like a bit of a misfit who might have benefited from therapy or something. He genuinely didn't seem to have thought about his actions much, and if he did he might actually be able to do something to help himself.

The guy living up in the Hollywood Hills was a fcuking creep. I don't believe he had consensual sex with a girl he thought was older. He just didn't want to own up to what he actually did. A total narcissist.

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

The guy living up in the Hollywood Hills was a fcuking creep. I don't believe he had consensual sex with a girl he thought was older. He just didn't want to own up to what he actually did. A total narcissist.

gucci wrote: »

Housing newly released "criminals" together, whatever their background/crime/mental state is hardly good practice, but it is blatently obvious that the governement etc just wash their hands of responsibilty and its easier to just occupy them somewhere breifly before throwing them back in prison....strange really.

Q&A WITH LOUIS THEROUX ON "EDGE OF LIFE"

1) "Edge of Life" is a very emotive film. Why did you decide to make a documentary on this subject and how did you keep your composure?

I am always looking for subjects that combine emotional extremes with actuality (action playing out on camera, as opposed to just interviews) and a moral question. For some time I've been aware that there might be interesting stories for us in a hospital setting. I saw a film by Nick Holt called Between Life and Death, about a brain injury clinic in Cambridge, which reaffirmed to me that there are fascinating questions in cases of serious head trauma to do with how much treatment to embrace - and a potential for conflict between families and doctors (and between families). I realized that in America these questions are often magnified because of the nature of US healthcare - I saw an American doc on PBS on a similar theme, done in a current affairs style, and I thought we could do a more intimate film on the same themes.
As for the composure question, it can get very emotional at times but I guess I'm pretty good at not showing it too much (!)

2) I'm starting out in documentary production and have always wondered how you go about finding the contributors? How involved are you in the actual research of the people you film, and how much prep do you do before you meet someone?

The director and the AP do most of the work of finding contributors. Especially in a film like Edge of Life, you don't really have the luxury of bumping into people in the corridors (which is how it sometimes works on other stories). There is a process and usually the AP (in this case, Angie Bass) will go and meet people who have expressed an interest in being filmed. Sometimes the director or AP will shoot a little tape of the prospective contributors for us to watch in the office, to get a sense of what people are like, but we didn't do that with Edge of Life.

3) Donta seemed to be in denial about the reason he was being sent home for hospice care but then there was a very moving sequence where he held your hand as he left the hospital. Do you think he came to accept what was happening?

I don't know that he ever completely accepted it. A few days before he died, Donta posted a message on Facebook to say that he was recovering. And you could see that when he left the hospital he had it in his head that he would be pursuing other remedies. People deal with death in different way and the challenge for the doctors in Donta's case was to try to get through to him. I think that's why they all came in as a group to give him the bad news. It could be seen as insensitive, but I think they'd decided that it was the only way they would get Donta to really take in what they had to say.

4) Do you feel that the doctors and nurses weren't being frank enough to the patients about their condition? Or do you feel it's good that they leave them with some sense of hope?

There's an argument on both sides. I think Dr. Jones and Dr. Gould (Langston's doctor and Donta's, respectively) were aware of the dangers of soft-soaping the prognosis and so they were a little more blunt in the way they gave the news. Dr. Linhares took the opposite approach, trusting Javier to read between the lines. Maybe there's a way of imparting the information in a way that is both clear and also open to the possibility of hope.

5) Langston's recovery was amazing. How did the doctor get it so wrong?

That still isn't clear. We asked the neurologist and his answer was that neurology is one of the last frontiers of medicine and there is still a lot we don't know. The brain is a mysterious organ and when you are young (as Langston is) it can be very resilient. I once saw a Channel 5 doc about a woman whose brain was tiny - it had been forced into a thin layer around her cranium by hydropcephaly (I think). But she was 99 percent neuro-typical. She just couldn't ride a bike.

6) Do you know how Langston is doing now?

The last time I saw him was that scene at the end of the film. My AP Angie went and saw him and his family to show them the film before we aired it and she wrote that he still has a slight limp (due to "muscle tightening") but seems positive. He's been continuous rehab for about a year now. He is taking a driving test to get his license back and hoping to restart school in the Autumn. She mentioned that after the screening he asked about Francisco - the other man we showed in our programme who was in a coma, he wanted to know how he was doing - so he's clearly on the ball and takes everything in. Also, spurred on by the experience of being in our documentary, apparently he's been watching a lot of my old programmes on youtube. Not sure if that counts as a good sign or not!

7) As someone who spent a lot more time with these people than we probably saw on camera, did their hope give you a more positive outlook on life and people's inspiring desire to keep fighting?

It gave me a deeper appreciation of my own good health and also the finitude of life. Enjoy it while it lasts. Responsibly of course. (Do I sound like an vodka advert?)

8) What, if anything, do you think the UK health service can learn from the US service and vice versa?

No system is perfect, but I am a believer in the NHS. No matter your income, you shouldn't have to worry about getting the best medical treatment available. Since I live in the US at the moment, I have to think about insurance. The level of choice and the different kinds of reimbursement are completely overwhelming.

9) The music in the documentary is great – who chooses it?

Thanks. Danny Collins the editor chose the music. There is a repeating track which is by Air, I think.

10) If you had the opportunity to travel back in time to reshoot one of your previous interview situations, with your post-interview knowledge/ insights at your disposal, whom would you choose and what would you do differently this time around?

Well, the Jimmy Savile show springs to mind. It would have been better for all concerned if he'd had to face robust questioning for what he did in his lifetime.

Thanks to all of you who sent your questions in - we hope most of them were answered here.

Q&A WITH LOUIS THEROUX ON “CITY OF DOGS”

1) What made you decide to do a documentary on this subject [of abandoned dogs in LA]? Did you have much knowledge of the dogs’ plight beforehand?
We filmed the Edge of Life episode (episode 2) first. As we were filming it I was aware it was quite sad and I was thinking of ideas that might be slightly lighter. I began thinking about the culture of dog-owning in LA. It is a very dog-centric city. I thought we could make a show that would combine the lightness of the pampered high-end animals with the darkness of the unwanted animals at shelters. It was only when we digged a bit deeper that we became aware of the scale of the problem of stray animals.

2) Do you own or have you ever owned a dog?
I have never owned a dog. I had cats growing up, called Scratch and Kipper. We were more of a cat family than a dog family. Now that I’ve made the show, I'm much more into the idea of having a dog. Maybe when we're back in England.

3) Did you meet a dog during the filming that you wanted to rescue and take home to your family?
I met several dogs. In particular there was a dog we didn’t feature in the finished show that was being kept in a tiny cage behind a house in South Central. I had the impression that he never got taken for walks. He appeared to have a very mellow personality. We visited the house with a local charity called Downtown Dog Rescue that had sent a handyman to build him a bigger cage. I just felt so sorry for that dog.

4) Where’s your beard?
It's in the garden somewhere. That's where I trim it, so I don't get whiskers in the sink. I shave my beard for filming. It doesn’t feel right wearing a beard when I’m making shows.

5) Burger the German Shepherd seemed ‘transformed’ in the hands of [Brandon], but how was life for him and his owner [Angela] once they were back home?
I’m not sure, but I strongly suspect he went back to the bad old ways. I never sensed Angela trusted herself to control Burger in the way Brandon could.

6) If you were to get a tattoo of your brain and an animal brain in a feedback loop, what animal would you choose?
A small reptile. It would be a useful reminder that the deepest parts of the human brain are basically reptilian. Deep down in the amygdala the human operating system is still very primitive, though we’ve patched on a lot of higher functions through evolution. I often think of the phrase “Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny”. Each of us is snapshot of the evolutionary process, dating back millennia, and to some extent we carry that with us.

7) Are there any people that you’ve genuinely connected and kept in touch with following filming for a documentary?
I think I connect in some way in almost all the documentaries I make. As for keeping in touch, I still stay in contact with JJ Michaels from the porn doc I made in 1997. Occasionally I hear from one or two of the young women who left the Westboro Baptist Church.

8) What was going through your head when you were waiting for [Prowler] to attack you? Did you feel pressured to do it for the story?
I was thinking, what if he misses my arm and goes for my throat! One good thing was, we only found out about Malcolm that same day we filmed with him. It wasn’t a sequence we planned and so I have a long time to worry about it in advance. As soon as I saw it going down, and one of the men asked if I wanted to pad up, I knew I couldn’t say no.

9) Were you more worried about the dog or losing your trousers?
More worried about the dog. There’s something very primal about being that close to a dog that’s trying to hurt you, even when you know you’re safe. It’s weird.

10) Was meeting Prowler the scariest moment during filming? And how did it compare to some of the other daunting situations you’ve found yourself in previously?
There was also a scary moment with Marquise, the man who told me to take my “bitch ass back to London”. He was behaving very erratically. I went back a few hours later with the crew to knock on his door and ask if he might reconsider and do an interview. That was a little nerve-racking. People with mental health issues tend to make me more nervous than people in a criminal lifestyle or inmates in prison, because they’re so unpredictable. But probably the most worrying for me was the chimpanzee I filmed with in America’s Most Dangerous Pets. I’d read so much about them ripping off people’s faces.

11) Did you feel uncomfortable witnessing dogs being trained to become weapons?
Not uncomfortable exactly. I can’t say I agreed with it. But there was something about Malcolm that I liked. From what I could tell, Prowler was well looked after. The more uncomfortable encounters involved dogs being neglected.

12) At one point you asked [Malcolm] if he was perhaps a bit paranoid about harm coming to his family. Given that it is an extremely rough area, to what extent did you sympathise with his paranoia (if at all)?
Well, I could relate to what he was saying up to a point. But it felt excessive. He compared his situation with the level of danger faced by the US President. That seemed little over the top to me.

13) Although some breeds have a higher tendency to aggression, do you think their behaviour is more often to do with the way people have treated them?
In general I think when dogs misbehave it’s down to the humans who are keeping with them. But I also think it’s possible to have a dog that’s more unmanageable and difficult. It’s not all nurture. There’s some nature there too.

14) Do you now believe that there are some dogs that are simply ‘incapable’ of rehabilitation and euthanasia is the only practical option? Or do you agree with Brandon that any dog can be worked with?
You know, when a dog has bitten several people quite badly and then mauled a small child, let’s say, I’d say that dog should be put down. It’s not to say the dog is incapable of reform. I’m sure any dog can be worked with. But there is also a level of acceptable risk.

15) You take us through a whole range of emotions in each of your programmes but how do you cope with being on the front line? How do you detach from the things you see and experience?
Most of the time I’m not looking simply at problems, I’m also looking at people attempting to improve the situation. So I don’t get too discouraged by the things I see. There are exceptions. Part 3 of LA Stories, which is about sex offenders, was one where I struggled a little to maintain my equanimity. So many of the people were damaged and their lives were desperate.

16) The dog pound was severely struggling with the number of strays they took in every day – do you think more could be done in order to prevent euthanizing the animals?
It’s all about responsible ownership. Number one is spaying and neutering.

17) Do you think the USA should ban pit bull terriers like the UK?
Based on what I saw, pit bulls are actually rather affectionate and can make great pets.

18) Why do you think people in LA decide to re-home stray dogs that could potentially be dangerous or make their lives more difficult?
They do it because it’s the right thing to do. Plus it’s more difficult – not to mention socially frowned upon – to buy from a breeder. And dogs from breeders can also be unpredictable.

19) Why was there little focus on criminal charges for [animal abuse-related incidents]? Did this subject come up during any part of your filming?
It did but not often. The vast majority of neglect cases don’t lead to a prosecution.

20) A large proportion of your documentaries over the years have been in the USA? Do you plan to continue exploring different lives and stories in America or are there other parts of the world that you wish to work in?
I like switching it up every now and then. I’m very proud of the shows I’ve made in South Africa, and also Nigeria and Israel and Palestine. I’d like to visit some other places. In another life I would have liked to be a foreign correspondent. It’s exciting to go to places like Lagos and the West Bank. But America is my bread and butter.

21) Are you going to “take your bitch ass back to London”?
Yes I think so. Most probably in August.

22) Have you got a message for your fans abroad who are keen to see your new series?
Well, the dogs one seems to be on YouTube. I don’t think it’s supposed to be but it is. For now anyway. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that, as they may have to take it down!

Hande hoche! wrote: »

The age of some of the kids is a bit disturbing.

Caovyn Lineah wrote: »

The girl at the start is 5 and knew what transgender means, sorry but my 5 year old couldn't spell transgender, let alone know what it means. A lot of it in that case is down to the parents.