Appalachian Film Festival: Bonecrusher

After attending the Historic Palace Theatre for the Appalachian Film Festival, I was at a loss for words. The film Bonecrusher had given me a completely different outlook on the working families of America. The film was presented by Michael Fountain and was the winner of the 2010 Jack Spadaro Documentary Award. The film portrayed the lives of citizens living with extreme work conditions and in poverty, a life I believed didn’t still exist in modern day America. The film centers around a man in Russell County, Virginia named Luther Chaffin. He earned the name Bonecrusher over the years of being a coal miner. Coal mining is a physically draining job that has given Luther chronic health complications. The film does not carry out as an ordinary film may, focusing on the community and culture but rather the strong relationship Luther has with his son Lucas, who is also a main character in the documentary. Lucas is on the path to becoming a long-term coal miner as well, as a part of the family tradition. Lucas states, “Once I realize I can do it, it just gets in your blood. Its all you want to do.” This concerns Luther because he does not want Lucas to obtain the same lifestyle outcome has he has. The film, not focusing on mainly the hardships of coal mining itself but rather the strain on the family relationships it can bring, in my opinion, was quite moving. It is tough hard to deal with the fact that the job that they have is the reason for repetitive sicknesses and health problem Luther obtains over the years. The hardship is the fact that it is their lifestyle and switching jobs or quitting is not an option. Quoted from Lucas, “Coal Mining is all I’ve ever known, my dad done it, just about every uncle I’ve ever had has, my grandfather and my great grandfather.” It depicts how these men were brought up to focus on masculinity and they develop a respect for the job and the job their past generations held. Regardless to the harsh dangerous that come along with it. This film helps a viewer not only portray only themselves in the situation but also the ones closest to them in it as well. I feel that every few months, when a tragedy may occur in a coal mine far from us, the around the clock news coverage about the safety and status of the workers may be the only time we may begin to understand the hardships these families go through. The problem is, after that coverage, the news vans clear out, the stories are over and these communities still continue going on with their tough lifestyles and we may not understand the severity of it. This film describes the painful lifestyle of these workers go through and not just during the time of a disaster. We tend to see these generations just as a victim of this disappearing culture.