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