Talk to Her

Talk to Her is a fantastic film made by Pedro Almodovar. The film won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. The story takes place in Spain about a chance encounter between two men, Benigno and Marco. The story begins when the two men happen to be sitting next to each other at a play. The film then flashes back to reveal the story behind these two men. Marco is a journalist and traveler who falls in love with a female bullfighter, Lydia. The two became a close couple who then start to have some problems. Lydia has an accident and goes into a coma. Benigno is a personal nurse who is the caregiver of a comatose woman, Alicia. The film flashes back to reveal more of Benigno's story. Alicia was a dancer who practiced in a studio across the street from Benigno's apartment. They met on the street one day and Benigno started to become obsessed with her, however Alicia got into a car accident and went into a coma. Benigno along with another nurse was hired to personally take care of her and for the past four years he has been taking well care of her and becoming more obsessed with her. The two men meet in the hospital and develop a bond and become good friends. Marco then discovers that Lydia had reconnected with her ex-boyfriend, El Nino, and she was going to leave him. Marco then decides to leave the country and go do work in Jordan. Before he leaves Benigno tells Marco about his plans of marrying Alicia and Marco is taken aback and tells his friend never to repeat that. After Marco leaves problems arise in the hospital when Alicia turns up pregnant and it is discovered that Benigno has raped her. Eight months later Marco hears of Lydia's death and tries to contact Benigno to learn more of it. Marco then discovers about Benigno's accusation of rape and his imprisonment. He returns to Spain to help Benigno. During his return to Spain Benigno allows Marco to rent his old apartment across from the studio. Benigno wants Marco to find out what happened to baby since no one will tell him. Benigno's lawyer tells Marco Alicia has awakened that the baby died and informs him it would be best not to tell Benigno. Benigno is depressed and cannot go on living without Alicia so he leaves Marco a message and then proceeds to consume a large quantity of pills hoping to go into a coma to be with Alicia. Marco tries to make it on time to tell Benigno the truth but it was too late. Benigno had died of an overdose. Meanwhile Alicia had began rehabilitation to walk and dance and the film ends when Marco runs into Alicia at the same theatre he and Benigno were at.
The major themes that were expressed in Talk to Her were tragedy, romance, love, and emotional bonds. Talk to Her is a complicated film with a soap opera feel to it. It is however a tragedy. The two leading characters in the film were two men who shared a strong bond; they were both in love with women who were in comas and who were never expected to recover. One of the men had trouble trying to talk and express his emotions to his comatose lover. The other man had no problem talking and expressing his emotions to the woman in a coma he loved, however before she was in a coma she barely knew him and did not love him. It's a very tragic film with a glimpse of hope at the end.  

After watching Talk to Her I felt it was a fantastic film. The story was very great. It was tragic but very touching and dramatic. The actors were fantastic. I was drawn into the two leading characters. I felt Almodovar's techniques style of filmmaking were very great. I am now interested in seeing more of his films. Talk to Her is a film I would recommend to many people.   

Central Station

Central Station is a Brazilian film directed by Walter Salles. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Foreign Language Film. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. The story takes place in Rio de Janeiro at a central station about a older woman named Dora. Dora is a lonely woman who has never been married. She used to be a schoolteacher and now she writes letters for illiterate people and mails them; however she actually tears up a lot of the letters for the customers she does not like or care about. One customer is a single mother with a 9 year old son, Josue. Josue never met his father who he still idolizes, however Dora knows from the letters that his father is a drunk. One day Josue's mother gets hit by a bus and dies. Josue now has no one to take care of him and nowhere to go so Dora decides to take care of him. She then sells him to some people involved in child trafficking but then takes him back. Now that she is in trouble and can't go back home she has no choice but to leave and help Josue locate his father. Along their Journey they do a lot of travelling, meet some new people. Dora finds a man that she might have an intimate relationship with but then she scares him away. Along the way Dora and Josue start to get along and eventually develop a strong friendship. The two had money issues and then they solved it by working together and writing letters for people. Eventually Dora and Josue find where Josue's father lives. When they arrive there they discover Josue's father is not there but two his two older sons are. Dora and Josue lie about their identities to the older brothers. The older brother tell Dora and Josue how their father had left 6 months ago and hasn't been heard of since. However the father had left a letter behind but the older brothers can't read. Dora reads the letter and they discover the father went out looking for Josue and his mother. Dora is sure Josue's father will return and the next morning she leaves Josue with his two older brothers and leaves a letter behind for him. She sets out to start a new life elsewhere.

I believe some of the main themes of Central Station were hope, friendship, and loneliness. There were many signs of hope in the film. Josue hoped to meet and father one day which is why he went on the journey. Dora had hoped to find a man one day she can fall in love with and when she met the trucker she thought he might be that man. Dora also had hope Josue's father would return one day. Many of the characters in the film had hope and they also never achieved any of their hopes, Josue still hadn't found his father and Dora is still alone, however the characters still remain hopeful at the end of the film. Other themes were friendship and loneliness; Dora was a lonely woman and Josue had just lost his mother and has never met his father. The two are lonely souls and they meet and go on an emotional journey where they develop a strong bond.

My reaction to Central Station was that I felt it was a great film, it was very touching and emotional. I felt Fernanda Montenegro's performance was fantastic. I loved the story and felt it was very moving. It was a very touching film that included you in this emotional journey with these two characters that you become deeply drawn into. I believe this is a film I would recommend everyone to watch.     

Bombay

Bombay, created by Mani Ratnam, is a Bollywood stlye film that takes place in India about star-crossed lovers and the events that occurred between December 1992-January 1993 between the Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Masjid controversy. The film focusses on two characters, Shekhar Mishra Narayan and Shaila Bano. Shekhar is a south Indian Hindu and Shaila is a Muslim. The two fall madly in love with each at first sight. They want to marry but the problem is that it is taboo for a Hindu and a Muslim to get married and their families, especially their fathers, are very drawn to their religion and refuse that the two see each other. Against their fathers' wishes Shekhar and Shaila move to Bombay, which is now Mumbai, and get married. Shila gets pregnant and the two end up have twin boys. Eventually both Shekhar's and Shaila's fathers come to visit, apologize to them, and finally meet their grandchildren. During this time Shekhar's father and Sheila's father try to get along and eventually become friends. Then came the Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Masjid controversy that took place between December 1992-January 1993. During this time there was a lot of religious tension between the Hindus and Muslims and there were many riots and acts of violence happening on the streets of Bombay. Both Shekhar's and Shaila's parents were killed in a fire that was started in their home during the riots. After that Shekhar and Shaila were separated from their children. At one point their children were nearly burned alive. Shekhar and Shaila looked everywhere for their boys including hospitals, morgues, and shelters. During this time the two boys are separated themselves but eventually find each other and then reunite with their parents. The controversy between Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Masjid also begins to end however the violence has already left a grand impression on the two little boys who will most likely be haunted in their dreams for the rest of their lives and also never understand why Hindus and Muslims don't like each other.

I believe the main theme and message that Ratnam was trying show in the film was about the December 1992-January 1993 period in India with the religious tension and controversy between the Hindus and Muslims. The second half of the film focused heavily on that. I also believe the main question he was trying to ask was "why don't Hindus and Muslims get along?" as said in the film. I believe he tried to show that they can get along by having the two main characters be star-crossed lovers from different religions and marrying each other and having children which then unites their two families from opposite religions. In the film the two fathers represented each of the religions and did not get along at first but then began to respect and like each other. I also felt that the two twins further supported his message since they were the products of a Hindu and a Muslim and the two of them were neither Hindu or Muslim, they were just children. The two twin boys came from a family of both Hindu and Muslim and did not understand why two religions fought with each other, they just looked at it as nonsense.

My reaction to Bombay was that I thought it was a great film. I felt the first half was a little slow but the second half was very powerful. I felt it was a very important film with a very important message. The story and the character's were great. I loved the two fathers in the film and the two twin boys. I felt Ratnam's direction was great. I feel that Bombay is a film the many people should watch however I don't think it's a film that everyone would enjoy especially if you are not Bollywood style or musical type films.         

The Wedding Banquet

 

The Wedding Banquet is a wonderful dramatic comedy made by Ang Lee. The story of The Wedding Banquet takes place in New York City, Manhattan, bout a gay couple, Wei-Tung and Simon. Wei-Tung's parents live in Taiwan and are very traditional. His father is suffering from heart problems and most desperately wants to have a grandchild. Wei-Tung has not told his parents about his true sexuality and plans not to tell them. He has a tenant, Wei-Wei, a young Chinese woman in need of a green card. Wei-Tung's partner convinces him to have a fake marriage with Wei-Wei so his parents can be happy and so that Wei-Wei can remain in the United States. When his parents hear of the news they come to stay with him in Manhattan for two weeks to plan the wedding banquet. Wei-Wei moves in with Wei-Tung and pretend to be lovers to convince Wei-Tung's parents. Throughout these two weeks Simon and Wei-Tung start to become more distant as the two cannot be with each other. On the night of the wedding banquet Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei accidently had unprotected sex that resulted in Wei-Wei getting pregnant. This news made Simon very angry with Wei-Tung. After Wei-Tung's father had a minor stroke and now had to stay in Manhattan longer. In this time Wei-Tung confessed the truth to his mother abut the marriage and his sexuality. They agreed not to tell the father. Wei-Wei decided she wanted to have an abortion, Wei-Tung's mother was not happy the decision. Wei-Wei then changed her mind and decided to keep the baby and that she wanted Simon and Wei-Tung to help father it in which they agreed. Near the end of the film Wei-Tung's father reveals to Simon that he knows English and therefore knows the truth about Wei-Tung and Simon and the marriage. Wei-Tung's father accepts his son's sexuality and also accepts Simon as a son and makes Simon promise not to tell the others. Wei-Tung's father is also greatly happy that he will be a grandfather.

I believe the major theme or message that Ang Lee was trying to send in the film was that you shouldn't be afraid and hide your sexuality, people, especially loved ones can be understanding and accept you for who you are. In the film Wei-Tung felt his parents wouldn't accept him for being homosexual so that is why he had the fake marriage. However when they found out they were very accepting. I also felt another theme was the importance of your relationship with your loved ones. Wei-Tung and Simon throughout the film were having trouble with their relationship because of the fake marriage and Wei-Tung was upset because he loved Simon and it would be hard for him to find someone like him again.




My initial reaction to the film was that I really liked it; I thought it was a great film, it was very funny and had a great story that was dramatic at times. I felt the actors were very good in playing their roles. I also felt Ang Lee's direction was great. Overall what I liked best about the film was the story; it was wonderful, funny, touching, and dramatic, with a satisfying ending. I feel this is a film many people would enjoy.

Children of Heaven

 

Children of Heaven, created by Majid Majidi, is a beautiful film about two young siblings, Ali and Zahra, who live in a poor town in Iran. The film begins when Ali takes his little sister's shoes to the shoemaker to get repaired and on the way home he loses them. Ali makes Zahra promise him that she won't tell their parents he lost her shoes in fear that they both will be punished. Since the each only own one pair of shoes and their family cannot afford another to buy another pair for Zahra she no longer has shoes to wear for school. Ali and Zahra decide to share Ali's sneakers. Zahra goes to school in the morning and finishes right before Ali's school starts. She has to run everyday back home to give Ali the shoes so he can wear them to school. Because of this Ali had arrived late to school a few times and had gotten in trouble, but because he is a great student his teacher had helped him get out of trouble. Because they are sharing the sneakers they try to take care of them as best as they can, otherwise they both won't have shoes. At school Zahra notices that another schoolmate is wearing her shoes. Zahra follows her home and eventually Zahra and Ali find out her family is also poor and that her father is a blind man. They decide it would be unfair to ask for the shoes back. Zahra and the girl soon become friendly. Ali and his father go out one day to a wealthier town to try and make money from gardening. On this small journey with his father it is revealed that Ali is not only great in school but has a lot of potential as well to possibly succeed in life. At Ali's school there are tryouts going on for a high-profile children's footrace that guarantees the third place winner to win a new pair of sneakers. He enters last-minute and promises Zahra he will finish in third and win the sneakers. Near the end of the race Ali struggled to place third and eventually thought back to the promises he made and motivated himself to run faster which led him to accidently finishing first. He was disappointed and sad that he had finished first and broke Zahra's promise. When he returned Zahra knew he did not fulfil the promise by the look on his face. Ali then took off his torn sneakers and rested his blistered feat in the fountain water, possibly symbolizing a future running career for Ali. Before the final shot there was a scene with Ali and Zahra's father out shopping in town and a close up of two new pairs of shoes for his children in his bicycle basket. 

The main theme of Children of Heaven was poverty. The story took place in a poor village about a poor family. The two kids each owned only one pair of shoes. When they lost one pair they couldn't afford to buy another so they had to share a single pair of sneakers. There are many other examples of poverty shown in the film. The film is suppose to show how some countries are really poor and the people have to make use of what they have. In countries like the U.S. many people would own at least 10 pair of shoes and not think twice about it. Another theme is dedication. Ali was dedicated to help his sister and get her new shoes. He joined the race and motivated himself with the promises he made to his sister and tried his best to place third.

After watching this film I felt it was a very beautiful and great film. I felt the story was so great because of how innocent it was with the two kids yet it sends a powerful message. I also loved the direction and cinematography. I felt the film presented a realistic view of what a poor town in Iran would look like. I also loved two kids in the film, they were so innocent and their performances really brought the movie to life. The scene in the film where Ali was trying to explain to the principle/teacher why he was late to school was so funny and innocent, he really portrayed what an innocent child is like. Children of Heaven is a wonderful film worth watching over and over again.

Moolaade

Moolaade' is an inspiring film made by Qusmane Sembene that takes place in Burkina Faso, South Africa, a traditional African village that carries on the long time traditions of it's culture. One of biggest traditions the village follows is the genital mutilation of females, which is a very dangerous procedure that may cause death. The film tells the story of a woman that lives in this village named Colle' Gallo Ardo Sy, the second of three wives of a respected man from the village. Out of the three wives she is her husband's favorite; she is intelligent, charming, and courageous. Colle' refused to have her teenage daughter, Amasatou, cut many years ago because she was afraid she would lose another daughter such as the first two she had. Her daughter is also engaged to a successful man, Ibrahima that is due to return from France. Although because her daughter has not been cut the village leaders have labeled her unfit to marry. While her husband is away, four little girls escape from the ceremonial mutilations in fear that they might die and go to Colle' for protection. She takes the four girls into her home and uses moolaade'(magical protection) to protect them from the female elders who carry out the mutilations. Because of Colle' actions the village leaders go into much dispute with her. The leaders demand that Colle' ends the moolaade and that the four girls and Colle's daughter should be cut. Colle's actions gain the attention of many of the female villagers and many decide to follow in her footsteps, protesting against the leaders. The village leaders react by taking away every woman's radio in the village in belief that the women are getting their crazy ideas from their radios. This action only leads to greater protest. When Amasatou's fiancé returns from France his father refuses he marries Amasatou because she has not been cut. Ibrahima explains to his father that he controls the decision of who he marries. When Colle's husband returns to the village his older brother forced him to whip Colle' in public for what she has done. After many brutal whippings Colle' manages to stay strong. While recovering from her wounds, one of the four girls she was protecting was taken by the elders and cut. The girl had died from the procedure and this lead to a major riot from the female villagers who followed Colle's movement and lead to changes in the village. The film ended with Amasatou vowing to her fiancé that she would never be cut and a fade away shot of a TV antenna.

The film had two major themes. The first major theme was that the film was a message about the tradition of female genital mutilation in South Africa and why it is bad. It expresses how it is a very dangerous procedure that can kill the young female participants and that it already has killed many. The main character of the film, Colle' was against the mutilations and refused to have her daughter cut and the four females who came to her for protection as well. The other major theme in the film was change. The village that they lived in was a very traditional South African village. They practiced traditional norms of their culture. Men were also dominant over the women. However, in he film the village was becoming more modernized. People owned TV and radios. Women in the film listened to their radios and were learning more about modern customs. Women were becoming more dominant or equal. By the end the women were definitely expressing dominance and their opinions were clearly heard. Women were driving away from the tradition of female genital mutilation. The successful character in the film, Ibrahima, expressed to his father that he will choose who he will marry. The film even closes with a close of a TV antenna, which further shows the change of this traditional African village into a more modern village.

I felt that Moolaade' was a great film, I really enjoyed watching it. I was touched by the story and the characters, especially Colle'. I felt the topic and the messages that the film sent were very important and that it expressed them very well. I also felt it presented the South African village lifestyle very well. I loved the direction and cinematography as well. Overall I felt it was a great film that many people should watch.