rev-ewe 32: Baran

Baran
Majid Majidi
Iran

A charming and beautiful movie.  Don't like foreign films?  Don't worry, this movie isn't heavy on dialogue.  It's much more about the interactions between characters and the sounds throughout the movie.

Background information I found that I think is relevant to appreciating the movie:
The Hazari are an ethnic group from Afghanistan who fled to Iran when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. While the Hazari can be traced to living in Afghanistan as long as any other Afghan ethnic group, they have distinct facial features that set them apart (generally looking very 'Asian' by American standards).  Because of this, many consider them outsiders.  As well, they're mostly Shi'ites, which differentiates them from the overwhelming majority of Sunni Muslims.  In 2001 (when this film was made), the Taliban openly targeted the Hazari people and burned down villages across the Hazarajat region.  When this happened, Hazari people fled where they could, and many went to Iran.  Since living in Iran, many Hazari have complained of being mistreated and taken advantage of (much like the immigrants of USA).  Many work difficult manual labor jobs for extremely low pay.  That's where this film comes in.
[if you're curious, read this National Geographic article: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/02/afghanistan-hazara/phil-zabriskie-text]

The movie takes place in Iran at a worksite where a boy, Lateef, is working the easy job.  Once a younger boy comes along, however, he is made to do the harder work and the younger boy takes his tea making and cooking job.  He tries to sabotage the new boy's work but soon realizes there's more to the situation than he originally thought and changes drastically in how he chooses to interact.  He realizes the magnitude of his actions and that people face bigger problems than he does.  I don't want to reveal what I didn't know at first (even though it's written in almost every quick plot synopsis) so ... I would say just watch it.

Definitely a coming-of-age story as well as a love story.  I didn't realize the first time through who the characters were exactly, but after round 2, it becomes more apparent and the story gets even better.  After watching it a second time, it seriously gets waaay better.  So it's certainly a movie worth watching just because it's an investment in good movies to watch over and over.

It's got a wonderfully slow pace, which may be difficult to watch at first, and is comforting in its beauty.  It was a great way to look into specific groups of people that I had no idea had such a complex relationship in society.  If you really need another reason to watch this movie, watch it to see how Afghan (specifically Hazari) and Iranians interact together as well as apart.  The Iranian setting is beautiful in every scene, and the emphasis the movie puts on sound is really unique.  I'd definitely have to watch it again to catch on more of the importance in the soundtrack, but it was noticeable enough to pick up on the first time through.
Gender is a very interesting part of the movie that is brought up.  I don't really want to talk too much about it because there's too many cultural and situational things that I'd rather not comment on, but simply found interesting.

Best part of the movie?  In the last scene, there's a great and very subtle combination of visual and audio that was extremely successful in what it had to express.  Subtlety is this movie's greatest asset, truly.

So .. total?  About a 9/10.  Though I probably didn't really understand what was going on, it was so beautiful and gets better each time I watch it.

** Might I also add that Baran means 'Rain' which is pretty important to the last shot in the movie (or really.. the whole movie).

rev-ewe 20: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

India

Aditya Chopra

Cute, cute, cute! I've loved bollywood since the first time I watched Lagaan when I was 13, and this movie definitely does bollywood! It's cute, funny, cheesy, musical, and actually quite romantic. I suppose my review of this is a bit biased since I love Indian culture so much, but it's really a charming film that goes on for 2 and a half hours (but it's so worth the duration!).

This middle-aged nerd-y type man is somehow arranged to marry a younger woman because of complications, but he is actually very in love with her. When he sees that she is interested in a dance competition, he creates an alter-ego to join her in her dance classes. This character is not shy and openly admits his love for her, but this complicates things when she falls for the alter-ego as well. Escandalo!

I looooved it, highly recommend for a predictable, feel-good fun film. Fawesome!

rev-ewe 10: The Price of Milk

The Price of Milk
New Zealand
Harry Sinclair


I'm on a bit of a New Zealand roll here, but this film may have different reactions from different people. I would suggest it to those who are down for a bit of a mindfuck, but it is a sweet mindfuck, if I may say so. I was not really sure how I felt about the film the first time I saw it, but after watching it a 2nd time (the fact that I even got to a 2nd time I think is saying something) I realized I really liked it. The direction is more than strange, and it takes such a bizarre way of approaching the topic of love. It probably does not work for everyone, and when I read the reviews on Netflix (Yes, it's on instant view! So, maybe give it a shot?) many people gave it a 'Hated it' rating and said things like 'New Zealand should stick to raising sheep and not making films!' A bit harsh (actually way harsh, considering LOTR came from NZ...) but clearly a sign that maybe this film really does not appeal to the masses.

The film, in short, is about a woman pushing her fiance to the limits to test how much he truly loves her. They live on a dairy farm, and one day she sells his cows to get her blanket back from an old woman (again, it's a bizarre film and it makes sense ..or not.. when you see it), which enrages him and strains their relationship to a breaking point.

I would completely understand if people did not like this film because I think it could be a bit much to take in, but in the end I think it makes for a nice statement about love and appreciating your partner. And did I mention Karl Urban is in it?? The mega-hot horse lord from LOTR!

I award this film 5 pairs of baby shoes.

rev-ewe 7: Queen Kelly

Queen Kelly
USA
Erich von Stroheim


Finally, an American film! This film was well ahead of its time. It was made in 1929, and dealt with issues of prostitution, adultery, pre-marital sex, and even had some forms of nudity! The humor was pretty quirky and risque for its time, again. If you don't like silent films, maybe this one isn't for you, but it doesn't really feel like a silent film in the sense that it doesn't have cheesy music playing over people doing sped-up outrageous actions. What I thought was interesting was the film was originally meant to run for about 3 hours but something happened, and the way I watched it was with stills at the end to finish the story.

The story is pretty much a girl from a convent (Kelly) runs into a free-spirited, drink-loving Prince who is meant to marry a controlling, crazy queen. The prince quickly falls for Kelly and goes to steal her from the convent and bring her back to the queen's palace. The queen finds out and banishes her, then the girl receives a letter from her aunt in South Africa who is dying and sends for her. When Kelly gets to South Africa, she is forced to marry a dirty old man and instead turns to prostitution.

Pretty intense, right? For 1929, I'd say so! Really quite interesting to see. The cinematography was pretty interesting, and they did good things with the camera. Worth watching, I'd say. Out there, but awesome. Pretty funny ending, too.

rev-ewe 1: Be With Me

"Be With Me"
Singapore
Directed by Eric Khoo


Simply amazingly beautiful. It follows 3 seemingly separate stories which come together in the end, all regarding love.
While the story I particularly loved was the one following an elderly man who runs a grocery shop but keeps himself distanced from his customers and his jobs, and seems to be going through the motions. When he reads a story his son is translating about a blind and deaf woman, he finds happiness in life again. This so moved me as I am personally going through some tough times, but the way it was done and filmed was absolutely perfect. I think I read something that the whole movie has about 2 minutes of dialogue.
I think this may make the film seem a bit slow or hard to follow, but it made it even more interesting for me to watch. Sometimes I think it's easy to get too caught up in dialogue or words, and forget what the film is actually trying to say. This movie says everything without any words.

cinematography is great, story line is simple but lovely, and great great emotional pay-off in the end.
I cried for a while after the film ended. I still cry thinking about it. Just wonderful.
I give it 900 stars. out of 10.