BLUE

This movie is part of a three movie series called trilogy; Blue, White and Red, realized by director Krzysztof Kieslowski. Blue is the story of a woman, plays by the French actress Juliete Binoche that tries to go on with her life after a terrible car accident. During this accident, she lost her little daughter and her husband. He was a famous composer and was working on to create a piece that would celebrate the unification of Europe. From then, everything seems to be unworthy and not important for Julie, the name of her character. She tries to put the past behind by cleaning up. She puts her house for sale and sends every work of her husband to his collaborative partner. The first work on the piece goes out to the garbage. Julie retakes her unmarried name and moves to a new place. She wants a fresh start. But there is always this music in her head that could not stop. In some ways, the music shows her suffering at the same time she reminds her of the past. The Collaborator goes on public television to reveal a copy of the unfinished piece which he receives from the secretary. Julie comes back and comes across new revelation about her husband. She learns her affaire with a young lawyer that is pregnant of his child. This new revelation is sort of easing Julie’s pain and allows her to move forward. Unexpectedly she stops the sale of the house and gives it to the lawyer. She wants the baby of her husband to grow up in his house. And the end she finishes the music and signs it her own.

Music is one of the theme is this movie. It reveals Julie’s inner suffering and her emotional state of mind. One can see at each resonant of the music, she is kind of going out of her mind. That music also allows her to free herself from this past. It becomes the vehicle through which she freed herself. This is to music that she finds her way back to life. As the flutist states to her, you have to have something to hold on to.
There is also freedom into this movie. At one point I can say that Julie was trap behind her husband persona. She was that supportive woman who participates in the creation of her husband‘s music, without any credit for it. She made certainly many sacrifices to support him. This is the case in which one of the conjoint has to travel a lot. Julie is also trapped by pain and her past memory.
One can see and feel throughout the movie that this woman is in pain. Despite she is not crying out, her face seems sad and each time the music comes back, this is an invocation of that.
This is a film with a different style from the continuity editing of Hollywood. Shots are not in line up so one can grab its popcorn and relax to understand the film. It requires more than that. You have to actually participate and fill in the blank. There is no indication that the woman used to collaborate with the husband in writing his music except the word of the TV show host on the matter. However, she finishes the piece and signs it of her own. We see her write notes and evocate style. Was this the fruit of her memory recalling him trying this style or did she possesses her own knowledge.
If we accept the fact that she was collaborated with the husband. One can ask what kind of pressure could keep her in such a low profile. The husband could at least credit her for her work along side of him. Was it that she sacrifices herself because of love? As she becomes aware of his betray, she decides to free herself from his spell and claims possession of the piece. The give away of the house could also be part of this reach out for freedom.
Anyway this movie refers to a plural interpretation. It is a pleasant one to watch despite not having a strong line of action where the character principal is fully committed to reach a goal.

Salaam Bombay

This movie presents the situation of a boy away from home in the street of India’s capital, Bombay. The boy was long gone from home because he destroys his big brother motorcycle. In order for him to come back he has to bring the sum of Rs. 500. First he was working in the circus that leaves him behind. He ends up in Bombay where he works to collect the money. There he sees the business of prostitutions where women are stocked in a no way out situation. He also encounters drugs where most of his friends in the street are drug dealers. They are always come to him for help and some even steal from his collection money. When his best friend that shows him how to survive in this place, die as a result of an overdose, the movie takes a more dramatic turn. The boy becomes angry at Baba that shows little sympathy for his friend whom was dealing drugs for him. He jumps on the occasion to put a knife into Baba‘s back when he was trying to stop one of his girls from leaving. The woman and the boy ends up running the street where they are finally fall a part. The film ends on a picture of the boy sitting evasive and confused.
This movie shows a great exploration of the environment. In the beginning, the director seems to explore the situation. One can feel a descriptive approach throughout the film to show the conditions of those women or the street children. And the film changes to a drama, after the death of the character of “Chillum.” The film also carries a drama within itself without strong emphases. Just by seeing the visual either of the environment or the condition of those children and women, one can feel the tragedy. There is no need for any extra in presenting that. And this director does just that, she shows us the picture and us feel for ourselves.

It is clear also that there are no such thing as children right and women‘s right on this part of the world. Authorities are selective and accomplice to the situation. There are more to condemn those in situation instead of giving them a way out.
The end part of the film is also very revealing. There is no hope for the boy and those in his situation in Bombay; they are trap in a never ending situation.

YI YI

This movie retraces the ordinary life of a Chinese family from Taipei. The father is a businessman and he works with other associates. Their company is not doing well; so they try to find their way out. The other uses his kindness to send him to meet a possible investor in Japan where he also plans to be spend time with an old girl friend. They were very much in love until he walked out on their last meeting. As they are together, they enjoy the company of each other and remember their past. But she makes a quick escape when he hesitates to answer whether or not he would come to live with her.
The other character is the daughter; she is an adolescent that experiences her first love. She becomes friend with girl and witness how her relationship with her boyfriend deteriorates. She goes on a date with the boyfriend and was ready to consume a relationship with him, but he quickly runs away. As she feels rejected, only her comatose grandma is there for her. She cries out her pain and asks her for forgiveness. The Granma did that on a dream before she dies.
The mother plays little in the film. She has left the house to go to the mountain where she expects to find peace. She had enough of doing the same thing all the time. In vain, because everywhere is the same as she discovers it when she returns for the funeral of grandma.
The little boy is probably the most interesting character in the movie. This little one’s life is very cool. Since the wedding was the movie started, girls were picking on him and he avenges in blowing a ball in their face. They cry out in fear. At the school, he and his partners cause so many troubles to their teacher. They are the trouble makers. He becomes very passionate about a camera photo here he takes shots of people‘s back head. One of his shots figures as the movie’s signature picture in the D.V.D. The boy also admires a girl from the distance. He loves to watch her swimming in the pool. He brings the suspense to the max when he jumps on the pool and strange noise comes out. The movie end with the funeral of the Grandma as the family gathers again for the occasion.
There are themes like love, adolescence, feeling of emptiness, and the ordinary in life. The adolescent young girl certainly experience most of these themes. She was kind of wander around. It is like there is a missing piece which is excitement.

This movie celebrates the realism of life. It captures the reel in those people every day‘s life. The movie does not provide an ideal escape where one can go to in order to look for surrealism and phantasms as in Hollywood production. There is not a dreams life that is sold out. Instead, this realization shows the realism of life. You laugh as they laugh at the wedding and dye as shown in the Grandma funeral at the end. In between, there are your every day activities. There is the fun part with the little boy, the kind of ready to experience with the adolescent girl and the troubles of the father. He has to solve the company troubles and he also kind of remembering the past with the girlfriend. In some ways, we all have to face these moments in our lives.

Dreams

This movie is a collection of pieces that Akira Kurosawa puts together under one name “Dreams.” It counts eight parts in total; each provides a philosophic view about a subject. This Japanese realization was released in 1990.
The first one is about a little boy who disobeys his mother and goes to the wood. It is a bright raining day. There, he hides behind a tree to watch the possession of the foxes. Suddenly, a noise is heard and they notice his presence as he runs away. The little boy is at the portal of the house and the mother comes to him. She says that she could not let him enter the house now. A fox was here and left a knife for him. The little boy has to kill himself. She encourages him to go after the foxes and ask for forgiveness. She guides him to look for the rainbow and to be ready to die because foxes are not known for their forgiveness.
The second one, “The Peach Orchard” is about a little boy again that brings five cups of tea for his sisters. He notices that one of the girls is missing. As he inquires about the missing one, the others laugh at him as he is under strong fever. However, this one makes an appearance that only he can see. He follows her to the wood where a bunch of mask and theatrical dress men and women confront him. There are arranged in scale formation. They accuse him and his family to cause the disappearance of the peach tree. He busts in tears. The mask men and women agree to let him enjoy this pleasure for a last time as they suddenly change in trees. At the end, there is one last tree that stands in pink while the others appear empty and seem to fade away.

In the “Tunnel,” a soldier is working toward a tunnel on an isolated area. As he approaches; a dog comes out to him and goes back to the tunnel. The soldier hesitates and then move toward the tunnel. As he comes out on the other side, he turns around and sees a soldier. His face looks very white. They talk to each other. It appears that the soldier has been killed in war. But he seems not to know that and he wishes to go back home. The living soldier recognizes him as part of his regiment. He expresses his regrets and encourages him to return with the dead. Just as the living soldier was about to leave; he hears a sound like a rolling train. His entire regiment, the third battalion, comes out in formation. Their faces look white too. As they seem to walk toward the living world; the living soldier tells them that they are better to stay in the dead world. They certainly would not change a thing at least in coming back that way. The living soldier salutes their courage and their bravery and he expresses his remolds and frustrations about war. He military salutes then as they return to the tunnel.
In the “crows,” a young man is at a museum to watch painting arts. Suddenly, he enters a painting and seems to look for someone. The person he is looking for is Van Gogh. He travels the countryside and meets him at a field. Van Gogh expresses to him how he finds it beautiful to observe nature. He feels inspire and can paint all day in face of such phenomenon. Van Gogh leaves him in the field because he does not want to wait the opportunity because the time is too short for him to paint nature. The young man wanders around among nature and animals as he lost sites of Van Gogh to the hill.
The “Mount Fuji in Red” shows a beginning of a series of explosion near the Mount Fuji. It is not clear that this is coming out of the volcano. There is red hot steam coming out and rolling down as people try to escape. It is a chaotic situation where everyone moves around. Those who are left behind are near the sea and they ask where the others go. One of them explains that this is the result of nuclear technology. Mankind have creates their own destruction. They wander around as one flew himself in the sea and the other wait to die. The part ends with one man fights in vain again a windy red chemical.
“The Weeping demon” presents a man that is traveled in a devastated field. There seems to have nothing around him. He finally meets a creature that is first running away from him. He addresses the creature and they begin a dialogue. The creature explains to him that what he sees, in the effect of radioactivity on the people. They lost everything. Plants are mutating in different kind and human change to demon. The demon forces him to get out so he could not become one too.
This movie, “Dreams” addresses many themes such as war, disobedience, nuclear destruction, nature and the environment, naturalism is arts, and rituals of his country.

This movie is a strong argument to show how movies can serve to defend a cause. It can serve as a weapon to promote causes of environment and nature as in the “Peach Orchard” and “Weeping Demon”. One can also makes argument about their culture as in “Sunshine through the Rain.” There is a similarity there between Jean De La Fontaine; this French writer was very well known to use animal to address issues about mankind. “Dreams” is a very artistic and well thought realization that shows the great maturity of Akira Kurasawa. This movie shows great maturity in term of expression. The symbolism provides viewer many argumentations and effectively requires viewers to think about the subject. The movie looks simple without great technical effect as I see nowadays in many productions

The Eye

This is a Chinese (Hong Kong) realization lists in the genre of horror movie. It is about a young blind girl who starts to have strange vision and dreams after she had a cornea transplant. Ghosts appear to be everywhere around her and a particular young girl seems to reach for her. That brings fear out of her and forces her to stay indoors without light. There, she remembers that her grandma used to say that she is special. She could foresee vision of life. Encouraged by her doctor who seems to be very attracted to her, they take on a journey to enlighten the matter. They travel to Thailand to meet with the donor’s family. They discover the tragic story of Lin. She too could foresee such vision. That causes everyone in her neighborhood to hate her. They think she was the one that brings death upon them. Humiliate and isolated, she finished by killing herself. The reason why she appears in Mun (principal character of the movie) is a call for help. She has an unfinished business to take care. After this task was over, Mun experiences the non-believe effect herself, as she is incapable to prevent a catastrophe that killed many. There she lost her sign again in result of a tanker explosion.
Themes such as after life, ghosts and the way of things are explored in this movie. We become aware of the philosophy and believe in this part of the world. There is a certain stage that explains ghosts and what can happen to one in the way one passes away. The young girl keeps coming to Mun, the character in the movie because of the way she was dead.
The big lesson of this movie is well said by the character in the end, she cannot complain about why she is blind. She experiences of what it would have been for her to see, this would certainly mean sadness and humiliation. I come to this on the experience of her corneas’ donor. That foresees experience allows her to appreciate more her situation. This lesson could serve for so many of us. We usually speak of what we have or who we are in such disgusting way sometimes, if we could have a foresee experience of what it would be like to be in our dream or wish whatever; many would take more time to better appreciate ourselves in the present situation. Let make the best of what we have instead of cherish what could have been.

Shanghai Triad

This is a mobster movie realized by the famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Everything takes place in the underground world of Shanghai where the Tang’s family is well established and respected. They are involved in all kind of transactions, drugs and plenty of illegal stuffs. The boss only keeps blood-relative at his services. They are the only one he trusts. A country boy discovers all these businesses when he comes to the city. As a Tang himself, he is placed to the service of the boss’ mistress. This country boy does everything wrong and the bad attitude of the mistress is also not helping him. She is a rude and selfish girl who signs at the boss ‘club. After coming under attack, the boss and a selected group among his men, refuge on an island close to the city. There the boss finds out that one of his right men is working with his enemies and counts on taking over the family. He also has an affaire with his mistress. The boss has all of them kill and anyone else that comes close to know or susceptible to be in relation to them. The country boy gets to live as it seems not part of the complot.
As all mobster movies, this one explores many themes such as trust, treason, respect, and secrecy. Everyone in Shanghai respect the Tang family. Among them, there are many secrets in regard to killing and the traffic of dugs. That the way it is.
This is a very pleasant movie, very rich in color and costumes design. The environment of the club appears agreeably on the screen. It reflects a mixture of fancy and good living. The island is also greatly presented in good shot. I love the view where the boy has overheard of the complot.
The relationship between the character plays by Gong Li and the country boy is very interesting.
There is a sense of not complete in the movie. I mean beside that the boss says that his right man is walking for the enemy; there is no other evidence of that in the movie. The same thing is also there for the assertion that the enemies killed the uncle of the boy. There is no shots related created the connections. Perhaps those stay in the underground to match the characteristic of the movie.

Talk to Her

Two men become friends after fate tragically strikes their women and put them in comatose at a clinic facility. Marco reaches out to Lydia so he can writer a paper about her for his magazine. Lydia is a “Matador” in Spain. Months later they are very much involved until a fight turns out badly for Lydia. The bull runs straight into her and leaves her paralyze and in coma. Alicia was a young talented dancer that Benigno carries an obsession to. He was more than happy to taking care of her when her father calls upon him to caring after her. Alicia is her special patient. They only met once when the young woman was normal. As she is lying there unconscious, Benigno talks to her about everything. However, misfortune happens to the two men. Marco has to walk away from Lydia as he learns from her ex that they were going back priory to the tragedy. And Benigno is charged of rape as they discover the pregnancy of Alicia. Once in prison, he only knows that the fetus was dead upon birth; but not that he wakes up the young woman that is slowly recovery. He dies in an escaping attempt.
This movie crosses themes such as love, obsession, and caring. Benigno is clearly obsessed over Alicia. He follows her to her house and even pretends to be mentally ill to enter her father’s resident. That pushes him to devote this special caring for her. It really provides the movie with a special touch how he talks to her about his activities. The part that Benigno talks about the shrinking man living inside of the woman is very evocative. It is almost one could predict he was going to do a parallel action.
The screenplay of this movie is clearly very different from a typical Hollywood one. The film begins with a couple’s story and the other catch up on the way. The cover story of the film is about Benigno, the nurse and his love interest toward Alicia. However, the beginning is with Lydia and Marco. This confuses me as of I was waiting to see which one of the two women that is going to wake up from their comatose. I was closing on Lydia to be the winner for being the character with the most appearing. And it forces me out of track to see her die. A simple report on a newspaper is enough to publicize the matter.
On another level, this movie carries a very strong sensual mood. The part when everyone gathers around the singer provides a very good feeling. One can see through the eyes of Lydia that she feels something for this man. The slow pace works perfectly to enchant the moment between the two characters.
Anyway, this is a very good movie with plenty of sensually and beautiful panoramic view. I can see that someone who used to the straight continuity style of Hollywood, would feel confuse and left out by the ending and some "unresolved aspects."

Strawberry and Chocolate

Cuba and his political regime are put up on the scale in this movie. Is it worth for a regime to centralize what people should devote their energy on and exclude arts in the package? A gay artist, Diego, finds himself on the wrong side of this paradox, as he tries to organize an art exposition and maintain his statutory living. He bonds in a friendship with a young man, David. Since the beginning, Diego plans on having a sexual affaire. For his part, this fervent of the revolution accepts to get close to the artist in order to report for the cause. In the end, they develop a respectable friendship that allows him to see the real person beyong the discriminate perception. As a result, David becomes a better man that does not fear to express his feeling and his sensitivity. He also finds love along the way.
The Cuban revolution and his methods of action are one of the issues in the film. The ideology behind the movie is not to break away from the revolution. As a matter fact Diego was part of the movement in the beginning. All he wants is recognition of arts as worthy to serve the cause. How can they exclude them? There are everywhere among them to express their feeling and passion.
Religion is another theme. The artist ‘s house is full of representation of “Christ” status. Everyone seems to believe in god(s) and practices a certain ritual either Catholicism or Santeria. The woman takes a lucky bath in order to keep David under her spell.
Strawberry and Chocolate is a cry in favor of arts as a part of the pieces to consolidate the revolution Cuban. It is clear that the film does not dissociate against the common good of the cause. It just wants to express a visionary idea to improve the road map for success. On another level, it appears that Diego needs to reborn if he wants to participate in the revolutionary life that Cuba is heading to. As he was reluctant to change and keep running after his old fertilities of classic life and fugal pleasure; there is no other way then exile. The time was not to enjoy life, the revolution calls for active soldiers, “camarades” to erase the past and build a new beginning. Only the chosen one can participate in this journey.

The symbolism in this film is another great aspect. The scene where the other gay friend breaks the status seems very strong in expression. It looks like they are angry against god for not coming to rescue. As they say that there is no god for letting this happen.

Amores Perros

This movie is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu. It is a Mexican production that was nominated for best foreign language film in 2000. It is three stories in one movie with a car accident as the connection between them. This is the point where the three key characters appear in the same scene. Octavio expresses to her sister-in-law his desire to run away with her. They live in the family house with Octavio’s mother and brother, her baby and the dog, Cofi. Octavio dislikes the way his brother behaves to his wife, Susana. He collects money from arranged dog fights where cofi keeps winning. Unfortunately, the sister-in-law decides otherwise; Susana and her husband disappear with the money. And in one last fight the other dog‘s owner shot cofi which loosing blood seriously. Octavio hits the road after he drives a knife into the man’s belly in retaliation.
This chase which is all over in the movie causes the accident between Octavio’s car and the young model Valerie. Her right leg is seriously hurt. She has to wear a special protection and is confined to a wheelchair. There, Valerie feels the pain of abandon. She lost her modeling project. Worse, her dog runs under the floorboard. She becomes hysteric and suspicious of her lover in point to lock him out of the bedroom. When the lover finally breaks through the door after a night on the couch, it was too late. He finds her on the floor with more damage to the leg. It has to be amputated.
The final story is about “el chivo.” This man looses his daughter, Maru and his wife after he goes to prison. From then, he could not find the courage to face Maru. As he agrees, the mother lies about his existence. He is dead to her. El chivo is also a professional hitman. It would be very difficult for anyone to be suspicious of this dirty bum always walking his dogs along the streets.
The movie explores many themes such as fatality of life. Valeria learns a serious lesson about that. She was that famous model everyone calls after. As she becomes injured, she discovers abandon and lost of interest. Even her lover could not understand her quest to find Richie, the dog.
There are also love and betray. Octavio certainly feels a great love for her sister-in-law. He plans on that and trusts her with the money. I bet he feels betray as he learns that she escapes along with money. Valeria could feel the same as she loses her modeling contract and sees the lack of interest from her lover. These two dilemmas are all around the character of “el chivo” either in the relation to his daughter or the act that push him away from her.
Amores Perros is a very suspenseful movie. This car chase keeps me hanging on to discover the final outcome. The cross between the stories is well performed to keep such aspect. Here, it is a very different style. Only Octavia’s part has a well defined goal. Octavio wants to run away with her sister-in-law. Overall it is a pleasant realization that certainly reflects the maturity of Alejandro Gonzalez.

Battle of Algiers

Gillo Pontecorvo was greatly acclaimed for this movie, “The battle of Algiers.” He won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the best director Oscar in 1969. The film retraces the early fights of people of Algiers to regain their freedom against the French. The two opponents are the F.L.N, “Front de Liberation National” or National Front Liberation-which establishes their base in the muslin part of the city and the powerful French army under the control of Colonel Mathieu. Ali La Pointe and his colleagues lead the charge for a free Algeria. Algiers is no longer the peaceful refuge where the French enjoys the delightful moments in café or they could be careless while walking the streets. It becomes a battlefield where French police officers are killed day by days and bombs explode here and there. Ali La Pointe and his colleagues use all the strategies to challenge the enemies and keeping Algiers in the spot light. In the end the French army triumphs by killing him and most of the nationalists. The Colonel Mathieu was not a man who’s going to let questions of legality and conventional methods prevent him from attain his military objective.
This film crosses many themes such as colonialism, terrorism and the right for freedom. The French have established themselves as owner of the land in Algeria with great military power. They have built their private corner for pleasures with all the luxuries. On the other hands, the resident that most of them are muslin live packed in their corner under the rules of the incoming giant. This raises the point of which order is right or wrong.
This important question is more and more in actuality nowadays where such phenomenon as terrorism is been actualized. There are many issues that were back then in the mind from both side of the fighter; that are still relevant today. The nationalists have to face the issues of how to fight against the abomination and cruelties of a super power when they control the alleys of information and the organism rescuers. On the other side, the French had to figure out which best way to win the battle over terrorism. Their tasks were greater. As one of the powerful army in the world at the time, they won the military fight. However, they lost the control of Algeria months later. This is a good example to say that military solutions are not the best way to address issues that is relevant to feeling and well being. You can not force an individual or any group to follow your way of living. Those things can not be imposed by ways of power.
There is also the fear that these fights would turn into an ethnic conflict or racial discriminations as we have seen it in this film and plenty of others. When solutions are hard to find, many hypocrite politicians and public officials go to the easiest way by blaming others and hoping to create cohesion among their citizens.

Tsotsi

In 2005, director Gavin Hood made his breakthrough into the elite of cinema with, Tsotsi. The film wins an Oscar in the category of the best foreign language film. Representing the South African cinema, Tsotsi is about an adolescent boy with the same name, who is the leader of a gang around Johannesburg. They live in a slum near the city. Robberies and killing are part of their interesting activities at nighttime. Tsotsi is the incarnation of toughness and insensitivity. However, everything turns around when he finds himself in charge of a baby. The little one was on the back of a car that Tsotsi gets after he shot her mother. This new situation takes him into his deepest soul and back down memory of his own childhood. In the extreme poverty of the slum, the young boy has grown up practically on his own with an abusive father and a sick mother. Tsotsi has escaped those frustrations with violence. With the little one, the tough guy comes back to his humanity, the baby changes everything.
The movie addresses many themes such as poverty, violence and childhood. The décor of the movie is a virulent photography of poverty. The visual aspect of the slum is a very strong and underlined argumentation of how poor those people are. Through out the movie one can see the contrast between the rich world and the slum where Tsotsi lives.
Violence is also openly visible through the killing, beating and shooting. As one of the gang member challenges Tsotsi over the killing of the man in the train, he savagely damages his facial expression.
Childhood is another important theme. The young Tsotsi appears to use violence to escape this damaged childhood. His abusive father has refused him to get in contact with his sick mother. He has even attacked his dog. Through out the movie one can see those unforgettable flashbacks that come to the character’s mind and cause him to become more violent and agitated.
This is a great movie in term of realization. The low lighting effect matches very well with the kind of deep emotion inside this slum. Happiness is superficial and short in those places. The similarity is really great between the actual views of a slum. I have been in such place where you have to light candle in order to see your face at mid-day.
It is very unfortunate that people have to live that way. As we see the showcase of the two realities, the rich places in the city and the slum so close to each other; that should compel to everyone to question our roles and mission toward others. It is true that what you turn your cheeks on, can come back to hurt you in the long run. Tsotsi was a lost boy that frustration and his lost childhood turn into a monster. Things may have been different for him and many people in the slum if those in government positions or those with the economical power like the rich man on the train have come out to help. I sympathize with the character.

Amores Perros