Cross-Cultural Film Class-Lyd Blabs About It!

"Children of Heaven" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

"Children of Heaven" is 1997 film is from Iran. It's the kind of film that the whole family can enjoy. It's about a 9-year old boy who loses his 7-year old sister's shoes through no fault of his own. They are very poor and they both want to keep it a secret from their parents so they share his only pair of worn-out sneakers. She wears them to school in the morning, and then runs through the streets, gives him the shoes and he wears them in the afternoon. Such a plan is not without its challenges, however. She almost loses a shoe when it falls into a gutter. He's late for school. The shoes are worn. Both of them crave a pair of their own.
Amir Farrokh Hasherman is cast as the boy. He has the biggest, most expressive eyes I've ever seen and my heart immediately went out to him. Bahare Seddiqi is the little sister. She wears a long dress and a white head covering just like all the other little girls. It's their shoes that show their individuality and she is always looking at all the other little girl's feet. One day she sees a little girl wearing her own lost shoes, but the other little girl is the daughter of a blind beggar. Later, there is a footrace announced in the little boy's school. He finds out that if he wins third prize he can get a new pair of sneakers. The tension mounts.
One of the best things about this film is that it brought me into another culture. This is not about revolution and bombs and sadness. This is just a simple story about the love between a brother and sister. It transcends all cultures, and makes the audience see the humanity of the children. There's one scene where they clean the shoes and blow great big soap bubbles at each other. It certainly is heartwarming.
Those of us who are comparatively well-off need to watch movies like this from time to time, just to remind ourselves what it's like for most of the people on this earth. It is so easy to get lost in our materialism, to become preoccupied with our looks, our clothes, our stuff, ourselves. I believe we are put on this earth to love God and to love one another, and that belief is summed up in the phrase: treat others as you would want to be treated. Embrace humility. Suffice to say that watching this movie will go a long way toward keeping you properly grounded.
I loved this movie. Watching the brother and sister and how to treat people was mesmerizing. The interactions between Ali and Zahra in this film are phenomenally moving. What amazing actors those two youngsters are! Some highlights that moved me was the scene where the little classmate (girl) returns the lost pen to Zahra and of course, the foot race, which was filmed without music; all you hear are the pattering of the boy's feet. We adults can learn so much from children. If only we would only take the time to watch and to listen to them!

"Monsoon Wedding" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is another outstanding film by director Mira Nair, who has previously directed such wonderful films as Academy Award nominee "Salaam Bombay", the lush and erotic "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love", and "Mississippi Masala". She is truly an artist, and her films are palpable with feeling and emotion that move the storyline.
The movie is set in New Delhi and takes the audience for a wild ride covering the last 4-5 days leading up to a big wedding between the daughter of an upper-middle-class Punjabi family and a "NRI" (non-resident Indian) who's an engineer living in Houston. They're meeting for the first time in the days before the wedding, which is only one of the movie's engaging storylines. My favorite was the romance between the goofy wedding planner and the family maid (culminating in one of the most romantic, make-you-weep moments I have seen in any movie). The movie also includes the requisite creepy uncle, who drives a disturbing storyline that helps take the sweet edge off the movie.
Director Mira Nair does a fabulous job introducing her characters -- they are so finely crafted that dialogue is totally unnecessary in a number of key scenes. The actors were wonderfully adept at communicating with little more than their eyes and hands.
The music is great and makes you want to get up and dance along with the characters (whose exuberance in the wedding scenes was such a joy to watch). The cinematography is lush and gorgeous.
This is a good movie, and is very entertaining. The characters are strong and each one is well defined in a short space of time, a credit to the writer and actors. However I feel that it tries to address a few too many issues, a strangely common failing of Western Indian movies. Why does the writer feel the need to address all the stereotypes and add a few non-stereotypical issues to fashionable value? Deceit, adultery, paedophilia, child abuse, prejudice, fornication, homosexuality, and more.. all too much for a one hour and forty-five minute film.
The theme relies on the strength, bond and values of family which are very predominant in Indian culture and Bollywood films.

"Dreams" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Dreams is a profoundly personal film by a hugely significant filmmaker in the twilight of his career and life. It is eight short stories that make up one great visual film. The film is apparently based on various dreams that Akira Kurosawa had throughout his life. The first is Sunshine through the Rain and follows a young boy who witnesses a kitsune wedding. The second is called The Peach Orchard and takes place during Hina Matsuri or the Doll Festival. A boy's family cuts down their peach blossoms before the festival and dolls from his sister's collection become animated. The Blizzard follows snowbound survivors on a mountain whose will to live is tested by a mysterious female spirit. The Tunnel tells the story of a dead soldier returning from war. The Crows includes an appearance by Martin Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh. This stunning vignette follows a Kurosawa-like character that travels in and out of Van Gogh's paintings. The nightmarish sequences include the apocalyptic Mount Fuji in Red and The Weeping Demon, which both no doubt touch on crucial cultural anxieties regarding nuclear technology. Finally, Village of the Watermills ends the film with death, but also with jubilant celebration of life in general. I'm tempted to assume this is just Kurosawa's subconscious literally translated to the screen. The images in Dreams are carefully symbolic and although they don't form one message at large, it does provide broad lessons and general wisdom. It also provides some absolutely gorgeous cinematography.
It can be criticised as being slow. If the thought of walking through an art gallery and taking several minutes to sit or stand in front of some pictures to fully study and appreciate their beauty seems "slow" to you then you might not like it. However, if you can imagine yourself enjoying watching an expressionist/art noveau/surrealist set of pictures come to life on your TV screen then you might like it.
Story-wise, the dreams play with the themes of death and loss, both human and of nature. The displacement of Japanese forests, the lack of safety standards at nuclear power plants, the loss of traditional Japan, the pointless loss of lives in war...sad themes at best. Yet at the end, hope is offered, in a small nook and cranny, like a flower blooming amongst concrete.
I liked the movie for it's different approach and I would like to watch other Kurosawa films to get an even better feel for the direction and imagery of his thoughts.

"The Eye" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

For a blind person, it would seem like a dream come true to have their sight restored. But what if it came with a price? That is the idea behind the Pang Brothers' "The Eye," one of the most minimalistic -- and chilling -- horror movies in years. Wong Kar Mun has been blind since she was two, but a cornea transplant restores her sight. At first she can only see blurry figures. But then, Mun sees shadowy phantoms leading away the spirits of the dead. Even worse, she sees the ghosts of suicides lingering on, doomed to repeat their deaths until they are put to rest. Horrified by this, she goes to her psychotherapist Dr. Wah for help. Stretching professional ethics, the lovestruck doctor manages to get the records of the donor, and they go to see her family in a rural village. And guided by dreams and visions, Mun learns of the tragic life of a girl, Ling, who could foresee death... If you like serial killers, buckets of blood and screaming blondes in your horror movies, don't watch "The Eye." As a horror movie, it will be too subtle, too quiet, and too full of intelligent questions about life and death. There are only a couple of real "horror" moments in here, where things look grotesque. Most of the time, it's psychological in nature; at one point, we hear that suicides are doomed to repeat their deaths -- it's horrifying enough to contemplate someone killing themselves, but doing it over and over? Even worse, we see this in action. And the Pang Bros. handle this wonderfully. Many of the ghosts appear and vanish quickly, giving a shock to the audience; at other times, they explore the changes that sight brings to Mun's life. But at the same time, the Bros. add a softer side to this movie, such as Ling's reconciliation with her mother. It's a credit to the Bros. that this is touching, not syrupy. A lot of the impact of the film can be credited to Lee and Chou. Lee especially, for showing a range of emotions, including joy, grief, hysteria and peaceful acceptance. Boyishly handsome Chou balances out Mun in a very believable, by merely being a pillar of strength and believing her seemingly crazy stories. The only flaw is that he seems to fall for her too quickly.
With good acting and a really chilling script, "The Eye" is one of the rarest kinds of horror -- the kind that horrifies the mind, rather than the stomach. Mesmerizing and really spooky. I liked the film. The theme behind the movie would be that sometimes what you don't see can be just as appreciated as what you do see (and what you might not want to see!).

"Shanghai Triad" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Gong Li gives a great performance as a nightclub diva who is the mistress of a mob boss. Told from the point of view of a boy sent by the gangster to wait on the arrogant singer, the story follows these characters over several days as they flee Shanghai to hide out in the countryside.
Acting is universally good, especially the roles played by the boy, Wang Xiaoxiao. He's wide eyed with wonder and very believable. The director is Yimou Zhang. I've seen several of his films and they are all good, but this somehow misses the mark. It was well done well but I was uneasy throughout and found it dragged a bit. Shanghai Triad is successful inasmuch as it depicted a time and place and atmosphere. I recommend it for its style and introduction to Chinese film.
It's a special movie other than the bland script. It's a movie about acceptance and humanity. The character's seemed fully developed to me and the scenery was wonderful. I always love a movie because of it's beautiful visual effects. I think that that is half of the movie, if you can describe the sights and sounds that the character feels as well as their thoughts and feelings. But it was a wonderful movie from that aspect. I loved how at the end the little boy ran to save Gong Li, even though he hated her and feared her at the beginning. There was something very noble and special about that.

"Eat Drink Man Woman" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is not a movie to see on an empty stomach. Writer-director Ang Lee's 1994 Oscar nominee tells a family story about a chef and his three daughters through the meals the chef prepares and serves his family. This touching, dryly funny story of a family coping with personal lives and the way those lives intersect with the family relationships captures a shift in generations in Taipei. The father, a famous chef who has lost his taste buds, still cooks, though he draws no pleasure from eating. His daughters, meanwhile, deal with both the disappointments and surprises of daily living and the way their adult lives compare to the expectations the widowed father had for them. A subtle, amusing--and mouth-watering--comedy of impeccable manners.
This film is set in Taipei, and is spoken in Mandarin. The opening scene of this movie shows Master Chef Chu at work in his own kitchen at home in preparation for "the Sunday dinner." My mouth was watering after the first 5 minutes! It's a ritual in the Chu family for the [widowed] father to get together with his three daughters for this weekly meal no matter how tight the schedules of or how unwilling the daughters are to come. The eldest daughter is a devout Christian and high school chemistry teacher. The second daughter is an airline executive and the youngest daughter is a fast food chain cashier.
All three daughters aren't married and aren't in any serious relationships at the beginning of the story. But as the movie progresses and each of them find love under the strangest of circumstances, each has an "announcement" to make around the dinner table come Sunday. The audience can't help but feel bad for the father who's getting old and seems to be at odds with her daughters for every small matter. Each daughter's relationship reflects the uniqueness of individuals.
The important theme to this story is hinted at when the father repeats to his daughters that he has lost his taste a long time ago. The audience later knows that he was referring more to his taste for life rather than his physical inability to distinguish flavors. This lack of appreciation for life comes with age as well as his loneliness from accepting the inevitable -- that his daughters are going to leave him alone someday.
I loved this movie. Seeing that I am getting married next year and will be moving out of my home at an age closer to 30, I know my dad and I share the same bond as the movie portrays. I loved this film and have seen it numerous times. It was heart-wrenching in that no matter what culture you belong to, the father-daughter(s) bond is very real and very strong.

"Talk to Her" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

Marco is in love with Lydia, a female bullfighter who is gored by a bull and sent into a coma. In the hospital, Marco crosses paths with Benigno, a male nurse who looks after another coma patient, a young dancer named Alicia. From Benigno's gentle attentiveness to Alicia, Marco learns to take care of Lydia... but from there, the story goes in directions that deftly manage to be sad, hopeful, funny, and creepy, sometimes at the same time.
Talk To Her is a movie about loneliness, the fragile connections between human beings, and the worlds we create within ourselves. Benigno is a lonely man, who had lived in isolation taking care of his mother for most of his life. Through his window he watches Alicia, practicing in a dance studio across the street, and falls deeply in love with her. This window is his only contact with the outside world, and Alicia becomes his entire world. Then Alicia is in a car accident and falls into a coma. Benigno works at a hospital as a nurse since his mother died. He serendipitously is hired to take care of her full-time, which he does with care and love and joy. He dotes on her, and tells her everything as if she were an imaginary friend. Although she is completely unaware of it, he is now her window to the outside world. Then Benigno meets Marco. Marco is a journalist who has fallen in love with the bullfighter Lydia, who has just been admitted to the coma ward after being gruesomely gored by a bull. Marco visits Lydia daily, while Benigno cares for Alicia down the hall. Benigno reaches out to Marco, which first frightens Marco because of Benigno's awkward lack of inhibition, but then they soon realize they share an intense yet one-sided love. They are both lonely men, who hide away from the world, and while they are limited in their abilities to connect sincerely with healthy human beings, they find themselves easily poring out all the love and locked up emotion inside them into their coma patients. This one-sided love for their coma patients slowly morphs into their own real friendship. Benigno supports Marco when Lydia dies, and Marco becomes the only one who will try to help Benigno when what Benigno believes was an act of love lands him in jail. Alicia finally wakes up, from what can only be described as giving birth to herself.
I loved this movie. I thought it showed the dark and perverse nature of men with compassion. It is excellently acted but it was so depressing that I felt I needed to watch sitcom after sitcom just to get over the melodramatic morose feeling of the movie. Pedro Almodovar also did a fantastic job as a director.

"The Unknown Woman" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Director Giuseppe Tornatore’s "The Unknown Woman" is a haunting story of mystery and love about a Russian woman named Irena who calculatedly drops herself into the lives of a young, affluent Italian family. Stopping at nothing to become the couple’s trusted maid and the beloved nanny to their fragile young daughter, Irena risks everything in her quest to
uncover the truth about the family. Like an intricately constructed jigsaw puzzle, "The Unknown Woman" reveals piece by piece the enigma of Irena’s past.
Approaching to the end, when the mysteries are solved, the great suspense atmosphere ends quickly and the last 15 minutes are pure drama. It's not a bad thing at all, but it wasn't a good choice for the movie. Those scenes doesn't ruin the movie(it's still great for me) but it ruins the chance of making a masterpiece that could be even compared to Hitchcock's suspense classics.
I think that this movie allows Tornatore to examine such current issues as human trafficking and black-market babies is never less than gripping and astonishing. I was very moved and disturbed by some of the images but I felt it really gave the Irena's motives justification. Her revenge was the moral of a very intriguing and helpless story and nonetheless, it was also very believable. Some parts were a bit confusing but all in all it was a great film noir followed by a great score by Ennio Morricone.

"Strawberry and Chocolate" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Strawberries and Chocolate is a film about the friendship between two men. David and Diego make an odd couple and are opposites in many ways. David is a college student full of ideals but lacks in maturity and is homophobic. David is also a communist studying political science but has a love for literature. He is educated and well-versed. Diego is a flamboyant homosexual that is sophisticated but also a bit cunning. Diego strikes up the friendship but David hesitantly accepts it because he is heterosexual and is aware of Diego's advances sexually towards him. We really do not know much of David other than from the opening sequence in which he promises to wait to have sex to his girlfriend until after marriage but she jilts him shortly later. The story unfolds as Diego puts aside his sexual urges and David becomes more comfortable being around Diego. They embark on a friendship that leads them both to accepting each other for who they are. Their common interests bring them together and both teach each other about life. The story does not have that many characters and is fairly simple yet the way the film explores unlikely friendship is amazing. Strawberries and Chocolate is a Cuban film so for those who are not familiar with Cuba may find this movie a bit exotic just because of this (there are a few parts with love spells and fortune telling).
I think the movie a great eye-opener for the communist controlled Cuban society as well as for all societies and countries in the world. The movie takes on the harsh reality of life without the restrictions of being able to freely express oneself in society through global art, literature, and their own sexuality. Culture matters, and it helps us to understand ourselves better as well as those around us. I think David and Diego build on that idea and find friendship. David also finds love with the crazy neighbor Nancy, who frequently tries to commit suicide. They both learn about love and sex from each other and become lovers and friends. David's maturity grows throughout, and it becomes apparent he is more tolerant as an individual and has become more mature from his friendships with Diego and Nancy.

"The Battle of Algiers" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

"The Battle of Algiers" is the story of a revolution. The film--based on real events--begins in 1954 with Ali-La-Pointe--an illiterate, unemployed ex-boxer. He winds up in prison, and it's there that he begins to identify with the F.N.L.--the National Liberation Front. The F.N.L.'s goal is an independent Algeria--free from French occupation--ruled "with a framework of Islamic principles." Once out of prison, Ali joins the F.N.L and begins 'cleansing' the Casbah (the Muslim section of Algiers) of undesirable Algerians. The film shifts focus from Ali to the uprising against French Occupation. The situation escalates--French police who sit peacefully drinking coffee in street cafes are murdered, and anti-Arab feelings mount. With a momentum of its own, the situation is blown beyond all control--terrorism is rampant--cafes, air terminals, and racetracks are all targets. Naturally, the French respond, but terrorism still increases, and French officials bump up against such necessities as search warrants and paperwork. Soon the French are behind sandbags and barbed wire, and the Muslim population are subject to checkpoints manned by French soldiers. At this point, seasoned warrior French Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu arrives. While the French residents of Algiers welcome his arrival, Mathieu's march though the streets ultimately seems sinister. He's a career soldier, highly principled in his own way--and he's there to win.
Mathieu takes control of the situation and tells his officers "to succumb to humane considerations only leads to hopeless chaos." Strategy dramatically changes as Mathieu methodically rounds up and tortures Algerians. It's a shotgun approach--evidently if you round up enough people and torture them, information will eventually pry loose. And it is by this method that Mathieu begins to break down the cell structure of the terrorist group. Using torture undermines the morality of the French position, but Mathieu tells the troubled French press that the matter is simple--the F.N.L wants the French out, but if France chooses to keep Algeria "you must accept the consequences."
"The Battle of Algiers" is in black and white and was directed by Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo with English subtitles. The film has a somewhat grainy look to it that underscores the feeling you're watching a documentary. Interestingly enough the only professional actor in the entire film is Jean Martin who plays Lt Colonel Mathieu (based on General Massu). It's a travesty that this film has faded into obscurity, but evidently enough people know about it for a screening of the film to take place for Special Operations at the Pentagon on August 27, 2003. "The Battle of Algiers" was banned in France and is considered the quintessential film study of a nationalistic insurgence against capitalist suppression.
This film was very well done. It didn't shy away from showing the atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict. Also, I am pleased that the examination of the arguments advanced by both sides, (represented by Ben M'Hidi and Colonel Mathieu) was well-presented, avoided bias and was not overly emotional.
Ultimately, the film evades answering its own moral challenge. It justifies its support of FLN terrorist murder over French torture by rewriting history. According to the film, terrorizes people didn't work. What finally drove France out, it suggests, was a spontaneous explosion of popular resistance. That scenario, however, is a fantasy. What drove France out was sustained and bloody rebellion.

"Tsotsi" Blogs and Blabs

2009-07-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

An amoral teenager develops an unexpected paternal side in this powerful drama from South Africa. Tsotsi (thug) is the street name used by a young Johannesburg delinquent who has taken to a life of crime in order to support himself. Tsotsi comes from a blighted upbringing -- his mother died slowly from AIDS-related illnesses, and his father was tortuously abusive -- and he has developed a talent for violence borne of necessity as well as taking strange pleasure in hurting other people. One evening, Tsotsi shoots a woman while stealing her car, and only later discovers that her infant son is in the back seat. Uncertain of what to do with the baby, Tsotsi takes the boy home and tries to care for it -- going so far as to force a single mother living nearby to nurse the baby. With time, Tsotsi learns the basics of child care, and the presence of the baby awakens a sense of humanity in him that life on the street had stripped away. Tsotsi was adapted from a novel by the award-winning South African writer Athol Fugard.I thought this movie was outstanding. It didn't fall into cliches, and it never succumbed to the sentimentality that some movies feel the need to portray when transforming an evil character into that of a good person with moral and ethics. As a matter of fact, Tsotsi did not easily turn around from being a thug with a superiority complex to becoming a selfless, humble individual. It wasn't until the very end of the movie that he began his transformation. The soundtrack to the film (African Kwaito music) was also outstanding, displaying the movie's rural, impoverished cities with such raw feeling that I felt like I was part of the community watching the film.The moral of this story stems from the character of Tsotsi who seems to use his amoral violence to get what he wants. He learns value, self-worth and gains a new outlook on life when he is given the opportunity to raise another life, and sees that he wants more for the baby than he does for himself.

"Amores Perros" Blogs and Blabs

2009-06-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

"Amores Perros" is a set of three stories of the lives of three different people in Mexico City that converge in this dramatic thriller. Octavio is sharing an apartment with his brother, which leads to a serious problem when he falls in love with Susanna, his sister-in-law. Octavio and Susanna want to run away together, but Octavio has no money. He does, however, know a man who stages dog fights, and he volunteers his dog Cofi for the next round of fights. Cofi bravely rises to the occasion, but the dog's success in the ring leads to a violent altercation. Elsewhere, Daniel, a successful publishing magnate, leaves his family to take up with a beautiful model, Valeria. Valeria, however, soon loses a leg in an auto accident, and as Daniel tends to her needs, her tiny pet dog gets trapped under the floorboards of their apartment. And finally, El Chivo is an elderly homeless man who is trying to contact his daughter, whom he hasn't seen in years. Desperate for money, El Chivo is hired by a businessman to assassinate his partner; however, as he's following his target, he's interrupted by an auto accident, from which Octavio and his injured dog stagger in search of help. "Amores Perros" was the debut from director Alexandro Gonzalez Inarritu.I thought the movie was well played out and very intense. The first story of Octavio was the most gripping, and the most dramatic of the three stories. The auto accident that played such a poignant part of each of the three lives reminds me of many movies that I have seen where a fatal accident has brought together many lives for one purpose. For instance, the movie "Intersection" and "Crash" reminded me of this movie. In my opinion, this movie is a tribute to love. The entire movie is about love. As the title suggests, the dogs in the movie symbolizes love. Roughly, everytime something bad happens to the dog(s) in one of the segments, the love also seems to go downhill: Octavio and Susanna's love is destroyed, not long after Cofi gets shot. Richie disappears under the floor, shortly thereafter Valeria and Daniels relationship goes downhill. Its a bit different with El Chivo. He loses all of his dogs, but gains a new one, Cofi. This represents a change in state of mind regarding his love to his lost daughter. Maybe he realizes that love (dogs) is fragile, and can die, and sees that he has to do it now, not later (that beeing contacting his daughter). Here's also a parallel to Octavios much asked question to Susanna: If not now, when? The end closes the movie incredibly beautifully for me. The name Negro (black), for his new dog, his new love, and the ending scene is in my opinion very beautiful symbolism: El Chivo comes up with the name Negro (black), it seems, rather randomly when asked by the mechanic, like its a bit of a coinsidence og just something he says. Then when he walks away, the ground as long as you can see, is black. And the picture fades to black. The way I interpreted it was that everything is love. The dogs (loves) name is Negro (black), and the ground El Chivo walks on is black, and at last, everything is black.