Mary Patierno

"Sodom By the Sea is a 17 minute experimental documentary about immigration to the United States. It uses the historic site of Coney Island as a point of departure from which to explore both the hopes and failed dreams of those who left their native lands to start a new life in America. Optically printed images of contemporary Coney Island are juxtaposed against the voices of immigrants describing their varied yet shared experiences. Intertitles serve to stitch together two parallel themes: that the heyday of Coney Island and the heyday of immigration to America occurred simultaneously, and that the two had both a subtle and lasting impact on each other." - Mary Patierno

Mary Patiernio set out to make a documentary about what she thought might be the last few years of her brother’s life when she found out about his HIV-positive status. However, as the title suggests, things didn’t quite pan out as she expected. Beginning with the video footage from her brother’s surprise marriage to his female chiropractor, following his break up with boyfriend Carlo, the documentary (which was five years in the making), cleverly unwinds to tell one of those stories you simply wouldn’t believe in a fictional film.

"Sodom By the Sea is a 17 minute experimental documentary about immigration to the United States. It uses the historic site of Coney Island as a point of departure from which to explore both the hopes and failed dreams of those who left their native lands to start a new life in America. Optically printed images of contemporary Coney Island are juxtaposed against the voices of immigrants describing their varied yet shared experiences. Intertitles serve to stitch together two parallel themes: that the heyday of Coney Island and the heyday of immigration to America occurred simultaneously, and that the two had both a subtle and lasting impact on each other." - Mary Patierno

Mary Patiernio set out to make a documentary about what she thought might be the last few years of her brother’s life when she found out about his HIV-positive status. However, as the title suggests, things didn’t quite pan out as she expected. Beginning with the video footage from her brother’s surprise marriage to his female chiropractor, following his break up with boyfriend Carlo, the documentary (which was five years in the making), cleverly unwinds to tell one of those stories you simply wouldn’t believe in a fictional film.