From 1997 to 2006, serial killer Ronald Dominique raped and killed twenty-three men in poverty- stricken Southeastern Louisiana. Difficulties in apprehending Dominique ranged from the underfunding of law enforcement to a lack of family advocacy for the victims, to the general distraction by other catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina. Bayou Blue meditates on the decay of a community.
The fading art form and ‘language’ of Russian criminal tattoos, formerly a forbidden topic in Russia. The now vanishing practice is seen as reflecting the transition of the broader Russian society. Filmed in some of Russia’s most notorious prisons, including the fabled White Swan, the interviews with prisoners, guards, and criminologists reveal the secret language of “The Zone” and “The Code of Thieves” (Vor v zakone).
