I went to watch Lula the Son of Brazil this evening. I know it is getting mixed reviews. Some people did not like it and others do not even plan to watch it because of its supposed political agenda. Since this is election year in Brazil and the film will probably be in the spotlight for some time, I decided to see it before criticism or praise affects my own opinion. I really liked the film. I tried as much as I could to distance myself from Lula the politician and see the man in the movie. In my opinion it is (as it has been said in the media) a portrayal of millions of Brazilians who face the hardships of life in this country. The movie tells the story of a poor family that tries to escape poverty and social injustice in a country where social inequality and injustice prevails. This is, as said before, the story of many families. However, it is well told and the acting is fantastic.
Setting criticisms (or praise) aside, it is also the story of a very persistent, gifted man (Lula) and persistent woman (Lula’s mother). Regardless of our political affiliations we cannot deny that Luis Inácio Lula da Silva is a talented man. One think I liked about the movie is that instead of depicting the president as a hero, it tries to show his humanity. It is really worth seeing for its history (it shows the period of dictatorship in Brazil) and for the story of great a man.
I watched James Cameron’s Avatar yesterday. I was a bit skeptical about it. Some people said it was predictable and that the story was weak. To my surprise, I really liked it. It is good entertainment. I liked it so much that I decided to make some comments about some points I found interesting.
The first thing I would like to mention, is the special effects. The colors and the characters in this imaginary world are fascinating. One really feels himself immersed into a magical world. A world that is full of magnificent creatures with a fauna and a flora that makes you feel like exploring this world. The flights, fights, and falls are just out of this world. I really wished I had some of my nephews with me to see if they were experiencing the same sensations I was while watching the movie.
The second thing that called my attention, was its indirect reference to the history of clashes between civilizations that we have had. It reminds us of the countless times our world has seen the destruction of natural resources in the name of progress. Or yet, the times when nations and cultures have been destroyed for being deemed primitive or just because they were too advanced and represented a threat to some other people’s world view.
Third, I loved one thing that might be related to what people call predictable: the fight between good and evil. I think this reminds us of the dangers of being always right, of always seeing our culture and values as the only ones deserving respect and consideration. After all, fairy tales are predictable and this might because we need to repeat to learn, to believe that there are good things in the world, that the good defeats the evil.
Finally, I liked the reference it makes to the balance between nature and all the species within the planet. After the fiasco of COP 15, this movie echoes like a reminder of lessons we should learn, things we should fight for. It is said to see that many people still deny that there is global warming.
The Kite Runner is an interesting movie for many reasons. Let me tell you about some reasons I have to like it. Amazing what a translation can do: in Brazil it is called “ O Caçador de Pipas.” I will the tiltle to talk about my perceptions and feelings about this movie. Although, screen time is dedicated to the kite flyer (the boy who grows up is the US and goes back to his homeland later), I think the story is about the kite runner (the boy who stays behind). I saw it as a story of unrequited friendship (if that is the term for it) like the one portrayed by Oscar Wilde in the Devoted Friend. The kite runner made me think about catering to the needs of others. I was touched seeing his gift for helping, his courage to face life’s hardships to help his friend. His enthusiasm in face of the hidden beauties of life, the beauty that lies behind the smallest things and beneath the routines of daily life. I think it is a dichotomy of two approaches to dealing with life and people. The kite flyer is always asking “What would do for me?” and the kite runner is asking/perceiving “What can I do for you?”
This movie directed by Susanne Bier is an interesting drama. The story of a woman who loses her husband and has to deal with this loss. This is one of the themes: dealing with loss, mourning. It amazed me to see how she dealt with her husband’s death and “resurrection” through remembering how he was, the kind of person he used to be, what he liked, people who knew him. It is touching to see that to deal with her husband’s loss she invites his drug addicted best friend to live with her mourning family.
It is a process of discovery for her to see that her husband had reasons to trust and be dependent on that man that she did not think was worth of much value and did not deserve so much consideration. It is painful for her to see that despite loving her husband and feeling loved in return, she was not the only repository of his trust and his love.
It made me think how we are tempted to think that romantic love solves it all and it is the answer to everything. Once we are romantically involved, we think we should share everything, that there should be no secrets and we are enough to each other with friends and relatives gravitating around this perfect union. A second point that called my attention, is that we are so judgmental when we think that people who are going through difficult situations have nothing to give and nothing to lose. The fire, for me at least, represents the fights we have, the misunderstandings that make us lose perspective and not see people as wholes, as needing things we cannot give or understand.
