This film will resonate for audiences from many different cultures who will relate to at least some of the issues portrayed here.
The question of how useful fear is, whether it’s always justified, or whether it’s destructive in its ramifications, is left to the viewer to decide.
A few techniques and resources for dealing with fear are in the pipeline for the future. I personally deal with my own fears at a visceral level, and feel it’s important to pass on some tips to my fellow pilgrims on our way to peace, love and understanding.
I hope to also remind myself and others that everyone’s battling, so let’s be kind.
The three attendees introduce themselves, and their fears come to light, especially when the door banging shut, is mistaken for a gun. During the coffee break, the coping mechanisms also come out. Outside, the Car Guard deals with his financial Fears which plunge in and out of his pockets and his belly. After the break, the facilitator shares a technique for coping with fear, and when it’s all over and everyone’s left, the car-guard is revealed to be Pete’s brother, and may have some connection to the plump dragon on Pete’s back.
Pete, the facilitator, is the most mysterious of the characters. He never reveals his fears, but the viewer has some idea by the end of the story. His brother, the car-guard, seems to have some strange power over him and seems to hold him in contempt even as he depends on Pete for support.
The Fears play a supporting role in this story, (or not) and add interest when Pete is (frankly) droning on a bit. SIMON’s PTSD, caused by a robbery, has given rise to a team of six FBI-like snakes, complete with dark glasses and hyper-alertness. OLIVES’s fear of speaking in public and her fearful giggle is echoed in the actions of her Fear, a sphinx-like dragon with long claws, the source of many migraines. LOYISO’s Fears are constantly looking out for that Look coming from White people and foreign Africans fearful of local Africans, because their fear can turn to hatred.
Also in the story are three characters who pass the church hall. All of whom should be attending the group, but are just fine thanks, and dealing with their Fears themselves. TILLY and WILLA pass by to choir practice and later return to where they came from, briefly interacting with the Car Guard, (who never has a name). We also meet ANDREAS and his voluble Fears as he tries without success to bring himself to cross the road when the light goes green.