Hi, Halima!

Chris Reed here, responding to your message. Thanks for reading the review. It was interesting to read your perspective on this calamitous event. Hope you are well in California!

I had a home and they didn’t.

The families still seemed a little shell shocked. They wanted eye contact. I saw some photos. They were very talkative but mostly not about the fire, really. One man wanted me to know how beautiful his region is and he kept saying I should come visit him and his wife, when it’s all over. I wish I’d taped them. But even if I’d thought of it—it might’ve seemed too much, like an invasion. They might not have minded. After all, they looked she’ll shocked, half there, half not.

Come to think of it, that’s the difference between documentarians and the rest of the world. They know that without their experience, on tape or written down— it’s just not real enough for everyone else who needs to know.