TV Eye

Those ignorant of history are in danger of repeating it. I've been struck by this adage at an accelerated pace recently. Last week, This American Life (on NPR) reran a program on Guantanamo Bay detainees, painstakingly laying out the horrific disregard for habeas corpus that is happening there. Listeners were reminded that it is a fundamental human right to know why you are incarcerated and to hear the evidence against you (and to know that there is evidence) and for the accused to be given a fair chance – within a fair amount of time – to defend themselves.

Later, I watched a portion of a documentary on the Inquisition. I was struck by how those events are reflected in the present. When it comes down to it, it's all about power. Who has it, who wants it, and the lengths humans will go to get it and protect it. The things people will do in the name of God or some other higher calling is truly shattering.

So, it was with some trepidation that I watched the film The Cats of Mirikitani. At 80 years old, Jimmy Mirikitani is a survivor. He's survived as a homeless artist living on the streets of New York. He survived the horror of Hiroshima. He survived the internment camps of World War II. He's survived most of his family's passing, believing he is the last Mirikitani standing. In spite of the playful title, I was sure I was in for another heavy (yet necessary) reminder of how we all need to be mindful of how past mistakes and injustices can reappear if we're not paying attention. The documentary, which airs on PBS as part of the continuing Independent Lens series, does that and more. Much more.

When filmmakers Linda Hattendorf and Masahiro Yoshikawa set out to make The Cats of Mirikitani, they thought it would be a small film about an inscrutable street artist. As the film progressed, it was clear that Mirikitani had much more to offer than a few charming drawings, and in fact, there was a recurring theme in many of his works: the experience of isolation and despair that he experienced as a child in the Japanese internment camps. At the same time, his recurring images of cats, domestic and wild, playful and ferocious, offer a glimpse at the many faces Mirikitani has worn in order to reach his 80th year. The film was going well until September 11. There was no place for Mirikitani to protect himself from the toxic cloud that hung over the city. So, Hattendorf took him in, in a simple and profound act of human kindness.

Mirikitani's life story unfolds at a greater pace when he moves in with Hattendorf. An elderly and occasionally cantankerous Japanese man rooming with a single white female in a small New York apartment offers some amusing and revealing moments. While most are born into a family, family can be made by even the most disparate of individuals. While doing the right thing may be obvious, it's not always easy, particularly when that kindness means relinquishing some of your space and freedom. And finally, in a short and endearing moment that I suspect the filmmakers were not intending to capture, the film shows how much people need people, how quick we can come to love them for who they are in spite of the obvious differences.

Through Hattendorf's persistence, Mirikitani is able to reclaim what he thought was lost, and that makes the film especially cathartic. In a time when so much is so wrong in the world, it's heady to see that some wrongs can be corrected, particularly if you're stubborn enough to survive the pain.

The Cats of Mirikitani airs the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, May 9, on KLRU. Additional airdates include Tuesday, May 15, at 9pm.

Upcoming films in the Independent Lens series include:

Sentenced Home (May 15, 10pm): Three Cambodian teens are deported to a homeland they have no knowledge of after making a poor choice.

Knocking (May 22, 9pm): A history of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (May 29, 8pm): A dharma bum finds the meaning of life among a flock of wild parrots.

Check local listings for additional airdates and times.

Local note: Downtown, the locally produced series that celebrates Austin, had its season premiere last week. Though it's not mentioned in press materials, a little bird tells me that the upcoming episode features a glimpse at the Hot Sauce Festival hosted by The Austin Chronicle. Downtown airs Thursday at 8pm.