Law of desire

Spain 1987

Details imdb

Seen 29 August 2009

Desire, passion, longing
For one man
Could not be shared
Will not be shared

The heart says so
Even though in the beginning
It was not love at first sight

Even when your object of desire
Rebukes, denies, turns you away
Admits to his own selfish side
You dismiss it all

Matters at hand
That might prevent
The coming together
Of both souls
Is treated summarily
With dire consequences
Of course

In the end
Despite protestations
You are his heart's desire

You are the one
The true one
Close to him
Body and soul

Be Like Others

Iran 2008

Details belikeothers

Seen 26 August 2009

Yes
You have to be like others
Either or
Not in between

That is the decision taken
By many in that situation
Some eager
Some with doubts
Some did not take the plunge in the end

There are those who are happy
In their own way
And others
With regrets

One certainty
They are not the same person anymore
They had made a change
They had decided

Even though
Society accepts
Their new identities
There is a feeling
Deep inside
That if given a choice
A real choice

They would not have made the change

My Magic

Singapore 2008

Details zhaowei

Seen 24 August 2009

A natural gift

Maybe
Or is it
A burden

When you are down and out
Living day to day
The drink is your best friend
And life a stupor

Until your own child
Shakes you up
To be a man again

That magic is used
For a better life
But others
Use and abuse
That gift of yours

There is always a point
When that straw
Breaks the camel's back
Then all hell breaks loose

A father
A loving father
Not in the conventional way
But you did your best
In the only way you know

And your son knows

Rich Boy Poor Boy

Philippines 1992

Details imdb

Seen 19 August 2009

Is it really love
Infatuation
Lust

Or just basic human need
Friendship
Belonging

Can differences in class and wealth
Be surmounted
It seems so
Or has the rich taken advantage of the poor
As some try to persuade
To be on their side
To start something anew
To put things right

No one can tell or be certain
Where matters of heart are concerned
Even a mother's efforts
To lead the son on a straight path
Does not lead to success

The heart

Knows no boundaries

Downfall

Germany 2004

Details imdb

Seen 16 August 2009

How does a man
A powerful man and his close aides
Face their final days before defeat

Compassion lost
In its place
A cold, steely heart

Millions dead
Inconsequential

To his mind
And those who follow
Sacrifices are justified
Hideous acts, unimaginable
Seems so routine
Nothing out of the ordinary

A mother who puts all her children
To eternal sleep
How could she

Is there any justification
For the suffering
For the atrocities

All because of an idea

The superiority
Of a particular group
Has to be stamped, marked
In any which way possible
For posterity

And 50 million people died
Along the way

Binyag

aka Loss of innocence

Philippines 2008

Details imdb

Seen 16 August 2009

Was it a natural instinct
Or was it the pull of the city
Or was it just the right time
The right place
The right person

He had the same experiences
Where he came from
It might be fewer compared to
The new surroundings
But still the same
Pleasure
And
Reward

The difference might be
The variety
The amount received
The shot to fame
In that instant

Has he he forgotten
That girl who is always there for him

Is he confused
Can he come to terms
That a part of him
Wants to retain

That innocence

Death Defying Acts

UK/Australia 2007

Details imdb

Seen 13 August 2009

A sleight of hand
A coin appears
Disappears

Is it real
Is it trickery
Or are we just willing victims
Who wants, needs
Belief suspended

The two meet
One toils from young
Becoming an idol in his times
The other, a psychic
Is just another mother, woman
Trying to make ends meet

The man wants assurance
A redemption for past events
The woman wants security
Something for the future

It is all a game
Until something stirs
Triggers
A primordial need
To love and be loved

Even for a fleeting moment
They did savour together
Passion, emotions
Love

That is real

For the Bible tells me so

USA 2007

Details forthebibletellsmeso

Seen 28 July 2009

Why
Do people manipulate scriptures
Why
Do people take a paragraph blindly
Why
Can't people see the whole

The sinners are condemned
But are they really sinners

The Almighty
Has created all and sundry
If you believe
In the Book
Whatever Book
Should you not believe
In the myriad variety

Who are we
To pass judgement

Who are we
To determine heaven and hell

Isn't that His prerogative

Serbis

Philippines 2008

Details imdb

Seen 21 July 2009

A movie theater
A family
The owners
The patrons

The matriarch tries her best
Regaining what is hers
Dignity, recognition, the past glorious days
She continues the fight
To keep the family
Even though some
Are not up to mark

The theater itself
Has seen better days
Now it is just
A stop over
There are those
Who watch the action on screen and
Those who participate
Off screen

There are earthly pleasures
On screen and off screen
And some do it as a service
In exchange for?
Love? Money? Companionship?

But the name of the theater
“Family”
Is very apt
All of them are one family
Together
The owners
The patrons

Far From Heaven

USA 2002

Details imdb

Seen 18 July 2009

The ideal couple
In 1950s America
Such a picture perfect family

Is that the reality
Unfortunately not

The man you love
The man who you think you know
Goes astray
And not with another woman
He does seek help
And you give support

The other man
Is the only one
Who understands

Alas
The two of you
Become fodder
For the town gossips

The difference in status and skin colour
Plays an important role
In those days
As such
A hindrance
For a friendship to blossom

The decision is difficult
Painful even
Maybe in future
It can be different

Don't ask don't tell

USA 2002

Details imdb

Seen 16 July 2009

This is in the same league as
Attack of the killer tomatoes
Don't take it seriously
And you'll enjoy the movie

I'm sure those involved
Had so much fun
That is the beauty
Of the whole movie

To enjoy the story more
Current affairs
Americana and the world
Of the last years of
The twentieth century
As well as the beginning of
The twenty first
Should be recalled

Some dialogue
Is so spot on
You'll get guffaws
Rather than titters

Be forewarned
This is in black and white
And the actors are spliced
With old film footage
A good effect
Enjoy

Sebastiane

UK 1976

Details imdb

Seen 14 July 2009

Once desired by many
Feted
Decorated
But one false step
Downfall
Exile

His faith was his undoing
Even in no man's land
His love affair
With a higher calling
Knows no bounds

Being victimised
Made fun off
Still he perseveres
There was only one friend
Who tried to see his side
But that did not help
Sebastiane's final fate

One other loves him too
Wants Sebastiane to be his lover
But Sebastiane is adamant
There is only one love
The love for that higher being

So Sebastiane suffers till the end
His gift
Towards
His belief

Antique Bakery

South Korea 2008

Details hancinema

Seen 13 July 2009

Cakes are sweet
In French, or Korean
Or in other languages
Cakes are sweet

Sugar and spice
Makes everything nice?
Not in this story

Cakes bring back memories
Or blocks some parts of it
Some people like cakes
Some people detest them

Why?

There is a mystery
Behind the bakery
There is a reason for its opening
Not just another business venture
Au contraire
Unconsciously helping
Cleansing, redeeming
A past
Best forgotten

From the film:

“Why do people want cake in their happiest moments?
Life maybe a cycle of pain and bad memories
That's probably why people look for cake when they're happy
Since life is a bitter thing, we try to make our joys ever sweeter”

Eduart

Greece 2006

Details imdb
Seen 11 July 2009






Trying to make good
To realise your dreams
Whatever obstacle
Comes along
Is hard

Remorse
After the fact
Comes slowly
Painfully

Even then
After so many
Losses

From the movie:

“It is not easy being human but it is even harder to behave like a human being”

Queens of Langkasuka

Thailand 2008

Details variety
Seen 10 July 2009











Good versus evil
Two sides
Complementary
Opposites

Whenever one has the upper hand
The good or evil
The battle continues
There is no end

Does the wronged man
Who lost his love
Take revenge
Using all he knows
To seek redress

Or will he rise above
And be benevolent
Using that power
For good
And not evil

Down the river

aka Tam Sai Nam

Thailand 2004

Details amazon

Seen 2 July 2009

Nothing is permanent
Let go
And maybe the memories
Will linger

Does he just tolerate you
Is he just a good friend
You may think he is your lover
But that might be just
Wishful thinking

Even though he is always with you
It does not signify a thing
It is his heart which will decide
Whether the two will entwine

Will it be just memories then
Floating down the river

The Hours and Times

USA 1991

Details imdb

Seen 25 June 2009

Barcelona is the backdrop

Where we find
John Lennon and Brian Epstein
Together

A reminder
This is fiction
A speculation
It may be true
It may not be true
It is up to you

Conversations
Between the two
Strolls in the park
A Movie
An air stewardess
A hotel employee
Adds up to the build up
Did it happen?

But we are quite certain
The two are quite close
But in what manner
Only they would know the answer

Fateless

Hungary 2005

Details imdb

Seen 23 June 2009

Yellow stars
Are not pretty things
When those who wear them
Face an unimaginable fate

We follow a young boy
Hurled into that unknown world
Because he is one of those who must wear a yellow star

This a story repeatedly told
A fate befallen a group since the days of yore
A group envied, blamed, marked, hated and ultimately killed

When we see the times after the atrocities
Has anything changed?

The boy himself had a chance to start life anew
At another place, a different continent

But he did not take that step
As he preferred his homeland
But he has definitely lost
The innocence of youth

The youth with
The capacity to feel
The youth with
The spring in the feet

Whatever happened
Should not have happened
Must never be allowed to recur
And will always be condemned

Were the world mine

USA 2008

Details imdb

Seen 20 June 2009

You can't go wrong
If Shakespeare is your basis
And for this film
It is “A Midsummer's Night Dream”

Set in verse and song
The story parallels the bard's writings

A small town
A prestigious school
Athletics versus academics
English literature against sports coach

Sexual identities
In born prejudices
Single families
Traditional values
Mix them all
A potent mix indeed

But the refrain throughout
“The course of love never did run smooth”

Rings a bell
True and through

Fremde Haut

aka Unveiled

Germany 2005

Details imdb

Seen 18 June 2009

Matters of the heart
Rule the realm again

Even when we try to run away
Love finds a way into our heart

Even though we are persecuted
Even though we have to take the bull by its horn
Guided by the survival instinct in our every move
We plod on

We try to be hard, to dismiss those feelings
But we never knew that a kindred spirit
Is waiting to share all our joys and sorrows
Despite obstacles along the way

Yes, we are defeated now
But we make a promise
A promise, a hope
That one day we'll be together again