Not long ago, a documentary filmmaker told me that he cared way more about truth than reality. Being a novice interviewer myself, I saw the interesting challenge ERASING HATE could be to that idea. Documenting white power gangs has its own set of dangers, from being deceitfully used for propaganda purposes to getting killed by its fiercest members. It's a delicate line to walk if your goal is to "document the truth". Bill Brummell's ERASING HATE does well by the integrity of its medium, though. While it's difficult for the viewer to establish whether or not a documentary presented you "the truth", ERASING HATE makes an argument for the opposite: how can it NOT be the truth? Also, it's the best possible PSA against tattoo removal procedures. It's a movie about the cost of mistakes.
That guy on the cover is Bryon Widner. He used to be a skinhead. A legendary one, within some circles. In the beginning of the documentary, his face suggests that he still is a skinhead. Bryon is covered with facial tattoos like the warriors in several cultures throughout history. That's what he's been all his life, a violent, sadistic warrior for his cause. He was that skinhead who was angrier, crazier and more hellbent on his ideals than his brothers. Problem is, Bryon isn't that guy anymore. He got married, is now raising four children (one being his own) and has found more to life than racist ideals. Problem is, a faceful of racist facial tattoos is a huge problem for a man who wants to take care of his family. ERASING HATE covers the whole tattoos removing procedure for Bryon's face, neck and hands, which was generously paid by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit organization that fights hate groups amongst other things.
It's difficult to understand Bryon right away. As bothersome as his tattoos might have been, he's the one that got them in the first place. Extensive ink in your face like that tells you something about a person. His story isn't all that convincing at first either. He met his wife in a racist concert in 2005 (not even ten years ago), asked her hand over the phone. Why the sudden desire not to be a fuck up anymore? Unlike what the era we live in suggests, you can't turn on who you were and never look back like The Undertaker turning face. Doesn't work like that. But this particular presentation is part of Bill Brummell's master plan to give his movie a maximum visceral effect. He juxtaposes Bryon's emotional evolution to the very physical evolution of his tattoo removal process. If you didn't know (I sure didn't) it's pretty goddamn painful.
See that crazy syringe? It's a mild screenshot of what actually happens.
Bryon Widner puts himself through over eighteen months of excruciatingly painful tattoo removal treatment and Bill Brummell's camera follows him through the darkest, most difficult moments (it gets really difficult at some point, even for the viewer). You can't really question that kind of dedication. As the pain gets worse, Bryon starts opening up more and more about his past and his time with white power extremists. It makes gradually more sense as to why Byron decided to leave the skinhead circles. He was a dispossessed kid, looking for love and acceptance and whether you want it or not, being a father is to be loved and accepted at no condition all the time, so it gave Bryon a perspective on what he was doing with his life. Suddenly, having drunken, savage, racist brothers wasn't all that cool anymore.
Ideas are a dangerous thing, if you let them take control of your life. Bryon Widner lived and died for his beliefs for so many years, because his experience never lead him to think outside of these. As soon as they did, Bryon Widner acted and went through hell to get rid of his tattoos, so he could take care of his family. Hard not to see the positive side of this guy, despite his atrocious past. It's impossible to know what happened to Bryon Widner because he's keeping on the down low, but I would've loved to know what kind of job he got and what he's been up to. Kudos to Bill Brummell for drawing such a dynamic portrait of a man who decided to escape his fate for the ones he loved. ERASING HATE is engaging and will challenge your deepest beliefs.
FOUR STARS