Acclaimed director Charlie Minn is a groundbreaking documentarian whose work focuses on victims of mass violence. Minn has produced 25 films to date, several of which follow murderous events throughout the borderland. Minn launched his career in film in 2009 with A Nightmare in Las Cruces, a much-lauded documentary about the infamous bowling alley massacre. Since then, Minn has spent much of his time making films in the region, and he considers El Paso to be a second home: “I got very comfortable with El Paso – the people, the culture, the weather, everything.” Minn will be back in town this Friday to open his penultimate film 49 Pulses at the Bassett Place Mall movie theater.
Showing between Feb. 23-28, 49 Pulses tells the stories of several victims who survived the Orlando nightclub shooting. “On any crime, it’s always the shooter that seems to get all the attention . . . I’ve got to try to change that. Change the dialogue, and really become a victim’s advocate,” Minn explained. He interviewed 17 survivors, providing them with a platform to talk through the trauma while highlighting their resilience. Despite the immediate action, rapid deployment policy, SWAT teams took more than three hours to disable the shooter. In the interim, thirteen victims bled out in the bathroom and scores of people were shot down. There were victims who used their own “bodies to take bullets for others,” Minn added, “That’s pretty remarkable.”
In light of the too recent Florida school shooting and the events in Las Vegas, 49 Pulses is a sobering opportunity to remember the victims of Orlando and to reflect on issues of mass violence as a community. “There are a lot of factors here when you’re dealing with mass shootings and tragedies. It’s not just one thing,” Minn began. As the nation engages in debates about gun control, mental illness and terrorism, Minn recognizes the complexities surrounding these situations: “It’s complicated. There’s a lot to digest here, and at the end of the day, nobody wins. We have the loss of life.”
At this point it’s a popular sentiment: “Regardless of the politics, something has to give. Something has to change.” Inaction gets us nowhere, but Minn fears that stalemates around gun control might be a continuing trend. Hopefully Trump’s recent push to ban bump stocks is a step in the right direction. Whatever government does or fails to do, Minn thinks that we should focus our efforts on supporting victims: “When you kill one person, you’re really killing about ten people—their immediate family, their closest friends, co-workers, neighbors, and that has a lasting effect.”
Like many of his other documentaries, 49 Pulses gives voice to the victims. He encourages everyone to come out and see the film in support of the Pulse shooting victims: “The victims’ stories [are] just so powerful. Let’s always think about them.” Visit www.49pulses.com for more information about the documentary.
