Vincere

Italy 2009

Details  festival-cannes

Seen 17 October 2009





Is this fate

To fall in love one moment
To be forgotten the other

How can a love
Be abandoned

Just thrown away

The fight to reclaim your rights
Despite the hurdles
Struggles
Seem in vain

No one knew
What happened
Evidence destroyed
Lives abandoned

Love's follies
Unanticipated

No one knew

It could end this way

The Fish Child

Aka El nino pez

Argentina 2009

Details imdb

Seen 12 October 2009








Past memories
Can never erased

It might be
Ages ago

But they are a part of us

Coming to terms
With what happened

Our survival instinct
Blocks the dark spots
Adapts to new places
Embrace the future

Until

The past comes back
Haunts you
Follows you

Unless

We make a decision
Take the the bull by its horns

We have to
We must

To carry on

Rabun

Malaysia 2003

Details imdb

Seen 21 September 2009

An elderly couple
Loving, caring, sharing

Have we ever seen such a spectacle
Especially in a conservative society
Where the old are expected
To be old

As if life will stop
When we cross that threshold
As if the fun stops
When nimbleness disappear

As if love
Has to be hidden
Forbidden

Unconventional
Maybe
Seldom seen
Maybe

That should not be a barrier
For loving couples
Everywhere
To continue loving
Exuberantly
Whole heartedly

Growing old together
The love does not flicker
The love does not fade
Into oblivion

But should get
Stronger
Brighter
Eternal

Mysterious skin

USA 2004

Details imdb

Seen 14 September 2009

A geek
A favourite
The same baseball game

They're just 8 year olds
With an adult figure
Looming big
In the background

Actions
Reactions

Both bleed

Achingly
Painfully

All is answered years later
But can they come to terms
With that particular demon

The past

Possible Loves

aka Amores Possiveis

Brazil 2001

Details imdb

Seen 13 September 2009

Waiting
Waiting for the rain to stop

Others have already met their intended
While you're still waiting

Ten years later
Three scenarios emerge

A conventional marriage
A broken up marriage
A continuous search for marriage
Which is the real experience

Who knows
You know

And the girl who stood you up
On that date
On that rainy night
Knows

No night is too long

UK 2002

Details imdb

Seen 12 September 2009

Love
Again
The eternal question

When one says
I love you
Is the feeling mutual

Does silent mean you agree
Or do you feel something

Anything

If the love has gone
How do you break off gently
If possible

Now that you find your true love
You can't wait to be together again

With your true love

Despite the odds
You persevere

But all is not what it seems to be
Only later do you realise
What you have done

Your actions
Might be justifiable to you
But it has
Brought unexpected consequences

You have to face the reality
Your love for others
May destroy their lives

So it might be best
Even though
It is ever so painful
To let them go

At least

The love will endure

In you

In your love

Siyama

Thailand 2008

Details mono-film

Seen 9 September 2009

The peaceful village
Suddenly finds itself
Face to face with unexpected danger
A marauding gang of trouble makers
On their way to the capital city

The villagers decide
That come what may
They must defend themselves

And
Out of the blue
Literally
Help came

In the form of three modern day countrymen

This is an adventure with an added twist
A show of patriotism
Reality, fantasy
Mixed in a potent brew

Yes, the good guys triumphed

But they had to endure
Trials and tribulations
Obstacles and barriers
Heartaches and pain

A benevolent monarch
Revered
Seems omnipresent
Might be true
Wish it was true
Hope it will always be true

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”