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Showing posts with label Foreign Language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Language. Show all posts
The world is not a perfect place to live. For in every
corner, there are lurking menaces. Even in places where supposedly there is
safety, danger is silently waiting. In this 2003 Swedish drama film, Evil (Swedish: Ondskan) takes us into the life of fifteen-year old Erik Ponti and
the evils he faces both in his home and in his school.
The movie is set in 1950s Sweden. Erik (portrayed by Andreas
Wilson) is expelled from his school because of fighting. His mother sends him
to a prestigious boarding school in the hope that Erik turns a new leaf, as
well as for him to escape the beating of his sadistic stepfather. But Erik soon
learns that behind the mask of prestige, the school hides a different form of
evil, something more subtle and grimmer. From being the bully of his previous school,
Erik has now become the prey.
Everyone seeks justice. But when justice is viewed by
different eyes, conflict occurs. With this conflict come pain, fears, and
doubts. In this 2011 Iranian drama film, A
Separation takes us into the lives of an Iranian middle-class couple and
the complications that their separation and an impending case bring in.
Oftentimes, what is less speaks more. No dialogues, except
when necessary. A small and novice cast. A rural setting, with scarce landscape
and small neighborhood. However, it speaks a universal theme that touches
everyone’s heart – love. And with this complicated journey towards true love
and new life, Samson and Delilah takes us into a story that will urge us to
reassess the things we value and cared about.
A city of love. Economic hardship. Family breakdown.
Brutality. Sex. Healing. Romance. These are some of the elements that make up
the 2012 French-Belgian romantic drama film Rust and Bone (French: De
rouille et d’os).
The movie opens up with 5-year old Sam saying ”I’m hungry”, an analogy
to the general theme of the film which speaks of needs and desires, and the
urge to satisfy them. This speaks of a universal emotion, and instantly, audiences are drawn into this absurd and animalistic, yet haunting and haunting love
story.
It’s February and it’s the love month. What better way to
celebrate this month is to feature some essential movies about love. And most
usually, when one defines love, one is talking about tragedy. These are the
basic elements of the 2012 Danish film A
Royal Affair (En kongelig affære).
Respiro is a2002 award-winning Italian film. Writtenand directed by Emanuele Crialese, the movie stars Valeria Golino, Vincenzo Amato and Francesoc Casisa. Respire means a “breath” in Italian language.
Plot. The film is the story of a wild- and free-spirited mother and her redemption as a human and as a person.
Grazia is married to shy fisherman Pietro and a mother of three sons. The family lives on a small peaceful fishing village on the island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea. Behind her jovial personality, Grazia is suffering from manic depressive behavior. Her moods are swinging. Sometimes, she would swim naked on the beach; at times, she would be laughing hysterically; and at other times, she would sulk in bed. Her condition is not a secret to the whole village and to the adult members of her extended family. Occasionally, they think of sending her to a facility in Northern Italy.
Monsieur Lazhar is a 2011 Canadian French language drama film. It was directed by Philippe Falardeau and the story was developed by Evelyne de la Cheneliere. It starred Mohamed Fellag as Monsieur Lazhar, the lead role. It was Canada’s official entry to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011 but lost to Iran’s “A Separation.”
Plot. The film is the story of Bashir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant to Canada who became a schoolteacher for a short while.
The movie opens with a scene in an elementary school in Montreal, Canada. A teacher has just hanged herself on her classroom. The incident sends a great trauma to the students who experience nightmares during the night. Later, Bashir Lazhar applies for the vacant job and is then quickly hired. Unknown to everybody, Lazhar is also recovering from a personal tragedy.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (French: Le Scaphandre et le Papillon) is a 2007 French biographical drama film based on a memoir of the same name by Jean-Dominique Bauby. Directed by Julian Schnabel, the film starred Mathieu Amalric as Bauby. It was distributed internationally by Miramax Films.
Plot. The movie depicts Jean-Dominique Bauby’s life after suffering a massive stroke on December 8, 1995 (at age 43) and how he communicated and established his memoir just by blinking his left eyelid.
The first forty minutes or so of the film is told from the main character’s first person perspective. It opens with Bauby, or Jean-Do as his friends call him, wakes up from his three-week coma in a hospital in Berck-sur-Mer, France. The neurologist announces that Bauby has locked-in syndrome, an extremely rare case in which the patient is aware and awake but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for the eyes. In this part of the movie, viewers primarily hear Bauby’s thoughts, as if he is speaking but nobody is hearing him.
Downfall (or “Der Untergang”) is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian film. It is based on many books: Inside Hitler’s Bunker (by Joachim Fest), Inside the Third Reich (by Albert Speer), Until the Final Hour (by Traudl Junge, one of Hitler’s secretaries), Hitler’s Last Days: An Eye-Witness Account (by Gerhardt Boldt), and many others. The film is in German and Russian language. Distributed by Constantin Film, the movie is directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.
Plot. The film depicts the final ten days of Adolf Hitler’s reign of Nazi Germany in 1945, seen through the eye of a woman.
The movie begins with a scene in 1942. A group of German secretaries are presented to Adolf Hitler at the Wolf’s Lair in East Prussia. After some tests, 22-year old Traudl Humps (now Traudl Junge) is selected to be one of Hitler’s personal secretaries.
Himala (“Miracle”) is a Filipino film directed by the late Philippine National Artist Ishmael Bernal in 1982. Written by multi-award winner screenwriter Ricky Lee, the movie is based on a true incident of a teenage girl in Cabra Island in the province of Occidental Mindoro between 1966 and 1967. The movie’s heroine is played by Philippine superstar Nora Aunor whose portrayal of Elsa is considered by most Filipino critics as the best of her career.
Rudo y Cursi (or “Rude and Tacky”) is a 2008 Mexican drama/comedy film. It stars Diego Luna, Guillermo Francella, and Mexican contemporary superstar Gael Garcia Bernal. It is directed by Carlos Cuaron and incidentally the director’s first full-length movie. It was internationally released and distributed by Universal Studios and Sony Pictures Classics.
Taare Zameen Par is a (Hindi for “Stars on Earth”) is a 2007 Bollywood drama film directed by Aamir Khan who also played one of the major roles. Indian stars Darsheel Safary, Tisca Chopra and Vipin Sharma also joined the cast.
REC or [·REC]2 is a 2009 sequel to the internationally-acclaimed 2007 Spanish horror film REC (see Random Film: REC). Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza still co-wrote and co-directed this second installment. It follows the events immediately after the events of REC, and hence, it still has that shaky camera and claustrophobic effect.
Plot. Dr. Owen, an official from the Ministry of Health, and a special group called GEO team are sent to the quarantined building to control the situation. Inside the building, they encounter the infected victims but Owen uses his rosary and religious mantra to drive them away. It turns out that Owen is actually a priest sent by the Vatican to acquire a blood sample from the Medeiros girl (the carrier of the virus which spread the demonic possession). They eventually reach the penthouse (owned by another priest in charge of her) and found the sample. However, it is set on fire while when they test it to confirm. The only option is to get a sample from the Medeiros girl herself.
Meanwhile, several other characters also surface. Jennifer’s father has come back after buying medicine for his child (the infected girl from REC who was thought to have tonsillitis only) and insists on entering the building. He convinces a firefighter and both go inside. Likewise, three teenagers – Tito, Mire, and Ori – manage to get inside the building via the sewage system. However, the police later seal the exit. Click here to read full review of "REC 2".
REC (or ·REC) is a Spanish film co-written and co-directed by Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza. It was released in Spain in November 2007, and instantly became a critical and commercial success.
Plot. The movie is fully in Spanish language and was filmed using camerawork. It follows a television reporter, Angela Vidal, and her cameraman, Pablo, who cover the night shift of a local fire station in Barcelona.
It begins with shots of Angela and Pablo documenting the activities of local firefighters. Then the fire station receives a call about an old woman who is trapped in her apartment. The group immediately responds and Angela and Pablo go with them. When they arrive at the area, the woman suddenly becomes aggressive and bites a policeman. She escapes and hides in one of the rooms. Meanwhile, the terrified residents in the building gather in the entrance hall as the entire building was sealed off and quarantined.
Later, the old woman bites another firefighter who plummets through the stairway to the lobby floor. The camera crew, police and remaining firefighter search for the old woman. She appears again, still fierce, and when she begins to attack them, she is shot. Afterwards, Angela interviews a little girl who appears to be sick with tonsillitis. Click here to read full review of "REC".
Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in) is a Swedish romantic horror film based on the same of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist who also wrote the screenplay. It is directed by Tomas Alfredson and stars 11-year old and first-time actors Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson.
Plot. The movie tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who develops an extraordinary friendship with a vampire girl. It is set in Blackeberg, a suburb in western Stockholm, in 1982.
Oskar is a shy boy living with his single mother in a cheap apartment. He is frequently bullied by his classmates in school. One night, he meets Eli, a new neighbor who appears to be a pale girl of his age. Eli has recently moved into the next-door apartment with an old man named Hakan. Initially, Eli warns Oskar not to befriend her, but after he lends her his Rubik’s Cube, they become closer and eventually become good friends.
Unknown to Oskar, Eli is secretly a vampire. She has already killed a local resident for blood. However, it is the old man Hakan who regularly kills people to obtain blood for Eli. One night, when he attempts to trap a student in a changing room after school, he is discovered by the authorities. Before they could catch him, he splashes concentrated hydrochloric acid onto his face so that they could not identify him and trace Eli. He is taken to the hospital and placed in a restricted room. That night, Eli visits him. Hakan then offers his neck to Eli for feeding, and after Eli has drained his blood, Hakan falls out the windows and dies. After which, Eli goes to Oskar’s apartment and the two agree to “go steady.” Click here to read full review of "Let the Right One In".
Tsotsi is a 2005 South African film written and directed by Gavin Hood. It is based on Athol Fugard’s novel of the same name. The lead role is played by South African artist Presley Chweneyagae. The movie is in Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, and Tsotsitaal languages. In was released internationally by Miramax Films.
Plot. The film is set in an Alexandra slum, near Johannesburg, South Africa. It begins with scenes portraying the childhood life of a notorious thug named Tsotsi. After his mother dies from a terminal disease, the young child runs away from his abusive father and lives with the other kids in a group of large concrete construction pipes. Years after, Tsotsi, whose original name was David, is now the leader of a gang that includes his friends Butcher, Aap and Boston.
Later, Tsotsi shoots a young woman named Pumla and steals her car. Only when he ransacked the car that he discovers the baby in the back seat. Hastily, he runs away with the valuables and the baby. Pumla survives the attack. A cartographic sketch of Tsotsi is immediately published in the newspapers.
Tsotsi finds it hard to take care of the baby on his own in his shack. So he looks around for a woman who can do the job and soon spots Miriam collecting water from a public tap, with a young child strapped to her back. He follows her to her home. During their first encounter, Tsotsi forces Miriam at gunpoint to feed the child. However, in the second time, Miriam offers to have full care of the child to which Tsotsi agrees.
The whole experience has gradually changed Tsotsi. At one point, he gives a large sum of money to a crippled beggar he had previously bullied. He also offers to tend his injured friend Boston. More, he also urges Boston, who they call as Teacher Boy, to take the teacher’s examination. Yet, a large sum of money is needed in order for him to take the exam, and to do so, they will have to commit another robbery.
Tsotsi, Aap and Butcher set out once again to Pumla’s house. They tie up Pumla’s husband John. Aap is assigned to watch over John, while Butcher robs the bedroom and Tsotsi collects items from the baby’s room. Incidentally, John activates the alarm. In panic, Butcher attempts to kill John with a gun but is instead shot by Tsotsi. Immediately, Tsotsi and Aap escape.
Aap is shocked with what happened and decides to leave the gang and quit as Tsotsi’s friend. Tsotsi then goes to Miriam’s place and the woman reveals that she already knows his secret. She begs him to return the child to his parents to which he painfully agrees.
Tsotsi arrives at John’s house again and he tells him over the intercom that he will leave the child outside the gate. Meanwhile, a stationed officer rushes to the scene just as Tsotsi is about to walk away. Many policemen soon appear, training their guns on Tsotsi who now holds the child more tightly. However, John urges the police to lower the gun so he can retrieve the baby himself. John begs Tsotsi and is sooner convinced to give up the child. Tsotsi emotionally returns the baby, and then told to put up his hands and turn himself in.
Commentary. Tsotsi is a film about change and redemption. In this movie, we would meet a man hardened by trials and circumstances turn into a moral person. What made him change is a mistake by fate. It was his own stupidity that triggered a series of events that distracted him from doing bad. When Tsotsi was faced with the challenge of tending the baby, he did not hesitate to accept the responsibility. Instead of disposing the child or giving him to some “place”, he looked for a nursing mother who can commit to the job. I suppose what made him decide on that is his own hurts and frustration. He grew alone and led a troubled life, and I think he does not want the helpless and innocent child suffer his fate. Tsotsi gave so much effort in taking care of the baby, even changing his diapers with a newspaper. Tsotsi transformed more when Miriam steps into the scene. Despite her poverty, Miriam raises well her only child, and then graciously offers her service of looking after the kidnapped baby. Seeing a good mother touched Tsotsi which made him decide a life-changing act of kindness. As the movie’s tagline goes, “In this world... redemption just comes once.”
Though its theme is dramatic, the movie did not dwell on so much sentimentality. It is not overwhelmingly emotional. It spares the audience from being too sympathetic with Tsotsi. We would simply understand the man and hope for change in him. The impoverished background helps us to understand more the hunger and strife of the characters. There are violence from time to time as it is a gangster movie, but the atmosphere created is more of sadness that chaos. Set aside the dialogues; the visuals are enough to evoke in us an awe-inspiring desire to change ourselves and the world we live in. In general, the storyline of the movie is simple and yet very profound.
Reception. Tsotsi received generally positive reviews. It won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film in 2006.
Rating. Tsotsi is one-of-a-kind gangster movie. It has lee violence, but more drama. I will give the film four out of five stars. Follow "Tsotsi" at Factoidz.
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