Little Hope Was Arson (2013)

I didn't expect this documentary to be that interesting. The topic is good but it doesn't seem like the type of crime that would captivate one. Yet the director manages to make it a great documentary. It is never judgmental and let's everyone voice their opinion.Not having heard about this case before I also found it pretty suspenseful and it was an interesting twist that the brother of that woman involved with the police was part of it. It is pretty interesting how they lest us hear different views on that and how many see it in a different way. One would never snitch on her family, the other thinks it only matters if it is right or wrong. People are different. Listening to their families was a great part to get to know them.I especially liked the interviews with the guys at the end talking about their motives and views. Honestly, they made even more sense than some of the people outside who talked about how they should get shot or how they will never forgive him. For burning buildings. Not that it should not be punished but I think the punishment they received is already way too much.

"Little hope was arson" is a documentary telling the story of a short period of time in which a notable amount of churches was set on fire. As the police searches for suspects, they come across two young men that are facing hard times and seem to have chosen a difficult path of dealing with them.The documentary tries to give a voice to different people that played a role in the solving of this crime and the social environment of the suspects. It tries to characterize who these young men were and what could have led them to such desperate measures. You learn how different people react to the happenings, how they try to create sense out of destruction and how faith remains one of the leading powers in the United States. To me, the last quote was a bit unnecessary, because it seemed like a conclusion and surely that wouldn't be the appropriate conclusion for this case. Otherwise it was a good depiction of the case, even though the case itself was not so complex in itself.All in all this is an informative and entertaining film that makes you think about how people deal with desperation and disappointment and how people that did wrong are perceived in the respective communities.

Where do I start ...Well first this takes place in the bible belt of Texas. I found it really disturbing the comments that were made from the people in this town. They throw around ideas "they should get the death penalty" or best of all "I would have shot them myself". Clearly both men have mental problems from a harsh family background with total dysfunction. The first man starts off where he lost his mother only to have his drunken father trying to kill himself. The father does this by hanging himself from a tree and lives only because the son has to cut the rope around his neck to save him. Father laughs this off and gives credit to God for saving him. The second man has a background of a mother and father that did drugs nonstop. Then he is handed off to the grandparents. The grandfather notices he had to change his ways because he was a bad influence on his grandfather . God only knows what that means .They send him to this church Yet in order for him to stay they have to go with him .He becomes depressed and they send him to a physiatrist who just hands out medication . He tells his grandparent that he is having side effects and feels like he is living in a dream. He tells them he can't tell what is real or not. They don't urge him to stop taking the medication .I guess they all just prayed about it .Then the churches start to burn down. What isn't mention in this film how the media and rumors were flying around. It was devil worshipers that who did this. Go figure it's the Bible belt and Texas . Yes they burned down 10 churches and should have gone to jail. The attorneys tell them they should take a plea deal and plead guilty. They received 10 Back-to-back life sentences plus 25 years. This is a common punishment for a double murder in the United States. It is to insure these two men will serve a life sentence. For arson this is the punishment they receive and no one has a problem with it? This is the plea deal that their attorneys suggested they take? I would have expected no less from a state that puts to death more innocent prisoners then guilty. I did expect the Theo Love to question the length of the sentence. Let people know this is sentence for murder not arson.

Theo Love's documentary, Little Hope Was Arson, finds communities in East Texas reacting to the burning of 10 churches. The film follows the logic of law enforcement and community members discovering their churches having been torched, one by one, and the trajectory of the investigation. A central figure of the documentary is Christy McAllister, who received a lead that her brother, Daniel McAllister, was a suspect. From there, Love gradually introduces family members and church mentors of two troubled young men, Jason Bourque and Daniel, as the film gradually delves into the young men's respective pasts. Once law enforcement sleuths their way to find enough probable cause for them to obtain warrants for the young men. This is where the thematic crux of the film becomes evident as the two men are taken into custody: In light of the East Texas Bible Belt's "buckle's" extreme Christianity, what is fair sentencing for these two men who committed these crimes in the depths of depression, but who physically harmed no one? The production value of Little Hope Was Arson is top notch, and it succeeds as an exposé in that there is no dogmatic side that the film takes, and leaves enough room for the viewer to exact her or his opinion of the matters at hand. (Not to its discredit, this film has nothing to do with black metal.)