Change Your Image
rljslaughter
Reviews
Qian li zou dan qi (2005)
Story of isolation and the quest for redemption
"Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" is a touching story about a man's quest for redemption and to repair the relationship with his son. This is also a story about a foreigner in a strange country and the isolation one can feel by not speaking the language, even when you are surrounded by people. Even though the father and son are never able to see each other before the son dies, the gesture the father makes by going on his journey leads to a much deeper connection between the father and son than they would have achieved through small talk in a hospital room. Redemption is achieved not only through his son's letter, but also, showing the pictures of Yang Yang to his imprisoned father, indirectly reconnecting them together.
Dom za vesanje (1988)
From innocence to revenge
"Time of the Gypsies" tells a story of someone who is just trying to do the right thing, yet puts all his trust in someone who ends up never telling him the truth about anything.
This is a story of innocence and how it is lost and found again. Emir Kusturica makes a mind boggling film that starts out as a kind of light-hearted comedy about a boy (Perhan) who loves a girl (Azra). It ends as a tragedy, Perhan is unable to let go of his quest for revenge, even though it costs him a life with his sister and his son. Innocence is found again when Perhan's son starts his story the same place Perhan did.
Viskningar och rop (1972)
formalities that limit expression
"Cries and Whispers" is a critique of upper-class western society. It shows that all of the little formalities that the upper class have limit your ability to express yourself and connect to those around you. What we would call proper manners or classy behavior really is a system of restrictions on expression and behavior that puts walls between everyone. These rules are endless and yet are the definition of western high society. If you break these rules, you're a troublemaker, a black sheep, an outcast, because you can't act civilly. This creates walls between you and every person you meet, in even the most intimate of relationships, like a between sisters or spouses. Bergman gives us a story of two sisters and how they try (unsuccessfully) to deal with a third sisters impending death while not breaking the seemingly impenetrable wall of proper manners. The wall of formalities over the span of their hole lives becomes so great the it crushes the soul. It was taboo to express anything, and it tears them apart from the inside out. The two sisters become two very different people because of this. One retracts inward, becoming cold, cynical, manipulative, never wanting to even be touched. She would rather cut her vagina with a piece of broken glass than have sex with her husband. The other seems the opposite, seeming carefree, joyful, happy, always touching people. However, her interactions with others never go past the surface facade, and by the end of the film you realize that underneath it all she is even colder than the other sister.
La otra conquista (1998)
A Story of Spiritual Survival
The Other Conquest by Salvador Carrasco is the story of how the Spanish Conquistadors tried to convert the Native Americans to their Western religion, and how the Native Americans succeeded in converting the religion into something that was their own. This is a story that follows Topiltzin, son of Moctezuma, and his quest to keep his faith as his world crumbles around him. He is bombarded by this new religion and by its idol Mother Mary. Little by little his religion fades as this one grows. He sees his Mother earth goddess literally destroyed and this new figure rising above it. He sees his own brother betray him for the invaders, he is tortured in the name of this new idol. His he entire culture and people turn to this new idol, this new deity, this goddess. He can no longer keep a hold of his religion and confuses this new goddess with his mother earth goddess. It becomes a way to stay true to his native self and native belief. Carrasco shows us the pain and suffering Topiltzin goes though not just physically but emotionally, spiritually, psychologically. We can see him slowly go crazy. Everything in his life seems to have turned against him. Even his brother turns him into the Spaniards. His half-sister, who is now a translator and lover to Cortez, keeps him from being killed, but even she is taken away from him after her and Topiltzin make love to create a pure blood heir to the throne of Moctezuma. Ironically, the only thing that seems to be on his side the whole time seems to be the statue of the Mother Mary, who cries when Topiltzin is tortured in her name, who bleeds as his hand are ripped from hers at the end of the film. This adds to his insanity, as she is the one object of comfort in his life even as these horrible events are done in her name. Carrasco makes an intense film that tells the truth about the time after the Spanish Conquest. It keeps you engaged and you feel as if your are going crazy with Topiltzin, only understanding what is going though his mind after he himself does.
Le fantôme de la liberté (1974)
Bunuel is great
Phantom of Liberty challenges our notion of civilized society. Luis Bunuel gives us a series of connected yet individual little movies in one that asks questions like "why not?" or "says who?". He pokes at the little taboos we have, all the formal walls we have put up. Bunuel asks the question of why do we follow traditional social norms when we aren't even sure why they were created? Why can't a man wear butt-less chaps and have his wife whip him in front of complete strangers? Why can't we get some friends together and all defecate around a table? Why can't we love and lust after our elder aunt? Can you give a reason other than saying "because it crazy, weird, disgusting"? Those are all responses to social norms being broken, but their not real answers. This movie takes those ideas and other just as crazy, weird, and disgusting and asks "so?". He takes social norms like the social formalities, sexual taboos, religious authority, and the western justice system and turns them upside-down, just to see what happens. He even plays to audiences expectations and ideas of right and wrong. He makes us all think about our own judgments about aspects of our own life. The result is funny, confusing, and thought provoking; but over all it's crazy, weird, and disgusting. Just the way Bunuel would have wanted it.
Idi i smotri (1985)
frighteningly truthful and terrifying
"Come and See" is a frighteningly truthful film about war and the horrors that take place in it. This film is not extremely graphic on screen but in your mind. The most terrifying things that happen in this movie, are left up to the viewer to imagine. This, I think, is an amazing way to get into the audience's head and under their skin. You do not see the people burning in the barn, you just see the barn burning. Yet we were just in the barn, and even though we escaped with Florya (the main character) your heart is still racing because you feel as if you were in the barn with the rest of the people. You can't smell a movie, yet you gag at the revolting stench of the swamp or dolls in Florya's house. Your not a character, yet you are scared for your life at the sight of the pile of bodies, you feel amazingly luckily not to be blown to bits by a mine. You've only meet the German minutes before (and you my think of yourself as a decent human being a would never do anything the Nazis did) but you clench your teeth, praying to see them burn to death, and you are almost broken hearted when they aren't. You don't just watch this film or listen to it, you don't even just live it. You survive it. You thank you luck stars that you are still physically in on piece.