SEATTLE — Could you ever open your heart to a person who tried to kill you?
That's the uncomfortable question at the center of "Pain and Peace," a documentary from Seattle filmmakers Rais Bhuiyan and Mark Feijó.
"Forgiveness is a difficult thing," Feijó said.
Bhuiyan added, "What drives people to hate?"
Just a few days after the September 11th attacks, a white supremacist seeking revenge shot Bhuiyan and his co-workers at a Texas convenience store.
"He ultimately killed two innocent South Asian men," Bhuiyan said. "And he shot me from point-blank range with a double-barreled shotgun."
As the sole survivor of that hate crime, he face was left riddled with dozens of shotgun pellets.
"I underwent several eye surgeries, but I lost vision in one eye," he said.
But Bhuiyan set off on a lifelong search for the power of forgiveness.
"It was a process," he said. "I had to go through a journey."
He reached out to his attacker.
"He was in death row awaiting execution," Bhuiyan said.
Bhuiyan even tried to save him from the death penalty. Although that campaign ultimately failed, his efforts transformed the attacker in his final months.
"He said he loved me as his brother," Bhuiyan said.
But "Pain and Peace" goes far beyond one man's experience. The movie explores rage and reconciliation from multiple viewpoints, including grieving survivors like the mother of Charlottesville victim, Heather Heyer.
"That was the very last interview she will ever give," Feijó said.
The filmmakers even spoke with perpetrators.
"This person could be a white supremacist, could be an extremist, but still he's a human being," Bhuiyan said. "His action did not cancel his humanness. I found ways to overcome the discomfort and embrace everybody."
The filmmakers traveled across North America to tell their story. In an eerie coincidence, some places experienced hate crimes even while they were visiting.
"Mass shootings were a constant thing happening," Feijó said. "Literally one or two a week."
Now, this labor of love - this story of love - is touching the hearts of audiences at screenings all across the country. One documentary may not change the world. But it's a great place to start.
"If every single person tries, we may be able to find reconciliation," said Feijó." We may be able to all get along with each other, and a lot of these problems that we see out there, who knows?"
Bhuiyan added, "People can find hope and healing and meaning in their lives."
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