In September 2012, a resident of Hout Bay, South Africa, awoke to the icy point of a screwdriver at his throat and the glare of a torch in his eyes. That victim of home invasion was Gordon Clark, a film director freshly returned from 26 years of directing films in Hollywood. Further investigation proved that his story was not news worthy - not even to the local rag; his tale was too mundane - neighbours on every side had been through similar. The further he looked, the more-of-the-same he found -- few suburbs across the country escaped this reality. To air this plight and turn an urgent spotlight on the terror of it, Gordon gave his neighbours the microphone to tell their story first hand and unrestricted. Without dissolution Gordon allows the victims to describe their moment of terror and induction into the South African reality. #BehindParadiseTheMovie peels back the fragile veneer of normality that cloaks South African suburbia to illustrate what most of us don't realize, or will not declare, until we too become victims. Gordon treads where few will go, deep into the personal anguish, the horror of the crime. He allows the victims to tell their story, uninterrupted and without external comment. Each story is unique and raw with the commonality of crime the thread. The humanness of it all is impossible to dodge, this is confrontational film making that does not ask questions -- it confronts the viewer. Do not expect a clean, boxed social commentary with resolution. This film is clearly meant to evoke, there is no resolve in its intent. Instead it hopes to achieve a beginning. "I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin." Neo in the film "The Matrix" 1999 What you don't know, you cannot Þx It is not the diagnosis of a dread disease that kills, it is the denial of the diagnosis that allows it to silently consume from within. The solution to solving crime, to restoring safety, dignity, security and investment value, is to uncover the facts and go after the perpetrators who rob us of far more than the items they take at knife-point; the criminals who steal your very foundations and future, and those who allow it and who may even aide and abet them. In their own words Too many South Africans have been driven by home invasions to abandon their paradise, to run and to emigrate. Nation wide our communities have become walled and barbed and dysfunctional as everyone tries to survive the onslaught. We are a nation under siege. Behind Paradise takes us back to where it really matters. Statistics have become chewing gum for the eyes and as a society we have forgotten, neglected the reality behind them. The horror of crime is real and experienced daily in a country where the moral fabric of society has been ripped away. Behind Paradise returns us to the actual emotion of crime's sharp end. The relating of the intricacies of the casualties personal experiences are a mirror held up to each of us. That mirror may or may not reflect your future - a future you can reverse only if you take action. We can run no more. Take the fight to those who can make a difference: • Hold politicians responsible • Force authorities to implement an effective police force free of corruption with sufficient resources to police its jurisdiction • Get involved in your community and neighbourhood watcheswith police oversight • Get to know your neighbours and collaborate on any suspicious behavior • Audit your own home security and take steps to improve it • Support this cause by sharing this documentary • Visit our strategic partner, Victim Support Network (VSN) - where you can share your stories and crime-solutions there, read other stories and learn from their situations or mistakes • Rebuild your neighbourhood into a strong community

• published: 25 Apr 2014
• views: 14807