Ajami

Israel 2009

Details  imdb

Seen 27 March 2010






The innocent caught in the line of fire
Always the victim never the victor

Trying to make a living
Trying to improve oneself
Trying and trying

Love for family
Spurs you to surmount obstacles and barriers
Assuming bigger and bigger roles
In the face of adversity
You strive to make a dent
Towards the ultimate goal
Helping the loved ones, close and dear

Through the hardships
The dreary, bleak and dismal landscape
Perseverance, sacrifices seems the order of the day

Even when there is a spark of love
Extinguished

Life continues

Soundless Wind Chime

Hong Kong 2009

Details imdb

Seen 26 March 2010




Silence. Cacophony
Open welcoming nature,
Sheltered claustrophobic urban metropolis

Unfortunate circumstances
Leading to
The beginning of
That first instance
Two disparate lives
Entwined, meeting, melting into one

There are times
The bonds break
But they are of one heart, soul
Together on a journey
Discovering, savouring
All the sweetness that love has to offer

The bitter moments
Are memories
Interspersed with those happy times
Each is a part
Each will remain
Etched in time forever

Imelda

USA 2003

Details  imdb

Seen 13 March 2010






Sacrifice to God and Beauty
That is what she says
All and everything that she did
Was for a cause
She was the sacrificial lamb
She represents the people
Enslaved to them

That is what she says

Hunger, poverty, discontent
Deaths even
In the pursuit of a goal
Personal glory
No, a definite no
It was all for the people

That is what she says

She truly believes
She can't see it any other way
She sacrifices so much
She is so misunderstood
And now the children will continue
Sacrificing themselves

That is what she says

The secret of their eyes

aka El secreto de sus ojos

Argentina 2009

Details  imdb

Seen 10 March 2010






A heinous crime
Deserves the same treatment likewise?

Can we ever forget
What happened to our love
What kind of brute would even think of such abomination
How do we react

Keep the memories alive
Lest we forget

Keep the passion aflame
The hatred or acceptance
Has to be maintained
Until that beast is found
To feel and endure
What you are going through

Killing is too easy
The guilty must be kept alive
To know, to live each day as you have lived
To feel that emptiness, loneliness
Dejection, the depths of despair
That knowledge, that fact

The one you love
Has gone forever

Merantau

Indonesia 2009

Details  merantau-movie

Seen 26 February 2010




Be prepared
For the big bad world
Even though
Well equipped
In terms of knowledge
Others have an advantage too

All well and good
Trying to uphold justice and fairness
What can one man do
Against the juggernaut onslaught

Struggles, that is certain

Winners, losers
The cycle continues

Blood spilled
Blood replenished
A life silenced
Another begins

A prophet

aka Un prophète

France 2009

Details  festival-cannes

Seen 19 February 2010



Thrown into a hostile environment
The first day itself, a baptism of fire

To survive
You endure
You adapt
You compromise

Step by step
You follow the rules
Gaining strength and confidence
Until you are sure
A strike can be made on your own

A success
Spurs further ambitions
Nevertheless
Not everything comes your way
There are hiccups
Stumbling blocks

Perseverance is needed
A steely resolve
In anticipation of further disappointments

A strong will power, never giving up
Stubbornness and diligence
The ingredients
That wins the day

The white ribbon

aka Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte

Germany 2009

Details  nytimes

Seen 17 February 2010






Grim faces
Hard lives

Does light shine through here

A hamlet it might be
Peopled by those like you and me

A microcosm of humanity
Although what transpires here
Seems gargantuan
In relation to its size

They solve problems
In their own way

They brook no dissenting voice
That would definitely incur the wrath
Of elders and those in power

So life will find its way
Eroding slowly
In a gentle pace
The established norms

Until unexpected turns of events
Jolts the community
Into realisation
They are not alone
Not just a tiny speck
Not just a dot in the map

My fair son

China 2007

Details  cduniverse

Seen 16 February 2010








Can you see yourself in your progeny
Is he different
Or similar

You try your best
To lead him to a better life
You give support and succor

But he has his own ideas
He is on his own
Independent

A variant of yourself
It might look so unfamiliar
But on closer scrutiny
He is still your son

Avatar

USA 2009

Details  imdb

Seen 14 February 2010





Greed
One of the seven cardinal sins

Permeates
The blood and veins
Of those who vouch no objections

In peril
A delicate entity
Interconnected, entwined as one

Do the visitors care
Not now
Not in the future

Assumptions
As if they are superior
But, are they

They do not understand
They do not want to understand or comprehend

The delicate balance
The order of things
That has been set in place

They forgot
To see the whole picture

A mistake
A very big mistake

Taking Woodstock

USA 2009

Details  filminfocus

Seen 6 January 2010




A momentous event
For the youths
For the town
For the family
For the man

Circumstances does play its part
Timing
Connections
Perseverance
Camaraderie

The music
Awesome
The people
Full of love

The man
Comes to terms
With what he is
In relation to his family
Friends, loves, community

Where he will be in future
He has to make that decision
Even though that means
Leaving familiarity behind

But he does have the blessings
Of his loved ones
Despite some early hesitations

He will strive forward
Just like the group who gathered
During that momentous event

Not sure where and how
But forward it will be

We were one man

aka Nous étions un seul homme

France 1979

Details  imdb

Seen 3 January 2010










Two
Become one

From opposite sides
During a war
When events turn haywire

Kindred spirits
Long lost friends

Time to know each other
Emptiness, loneliness
Brings them closer

Searching, yearning
Another man
Fills the void

But
There is a third party
Sympathetic, understanding

The two
Despite the ups and downs
Fights and quarrels

Are two peas in a pod

Meant for each other

Burn the bridges

aka Quemar las naves

Mexico 2007

Details  imdb

Seen 29 December 2009






Bonds

Past, present and future
Intermingled

Potent brew

Can we cut off
That umbilical cord

Can we go free
Dare we

A step
A jaunt
A jump
A leap

Beyond
What is familiar

It is dangerous
Exciting, exhilarating

Takes your breath away

Head spinning, dizzy
Gulping for air

It is life after all

Experiences add up

Ultimately

Survival

Papadom

Malaysia 2009

Details  cinema

Seen 25 November 2009








A father's love
To compensate
For the missing moments
Does not turn out too well

Even with the best intentions
There are times
When letting go
Is the better option

Is it really for the love
Definitely
But there is also
The guilt

Making amends

That seems to be common
Material gains
Supposedly
To make life better

Ye, it does
But it is not a guarantee
That the heart
Will be contented

Both are needed
In fair measure
A delicate balance
Ever changing

Wild Animals

South Korea 1997

Details  nytimes

Seen 22 November 2009










Finding your fortune
In a foreign country
Is never easy

You use all ways and means
To forge ahead

You might begin
With a noble goal
But the bread and butter
Bodily sustenance
Becomes the main priority

A man eat man world
Friendships betrayed

For love

That eternal emotion
Love
Almost always comes into the picture

To what ends
Do we sacrifice
Compromise
To meet, to have
Forever
The one we love

Set aside loyalty
Kinship, brotherhood
Morality

We must get what we want

Do we get it?

Grand Ecole

France 2004

Details  imdb

Seen 21 November 2009








A successful admission
To a top business school
Should be the pinnacle
An achievement
A victory

For the students
For the parents
The nation
The economy

But life always
Throws the odd ball in

Games people play
Mind games
High stakes
Emotions involved
Danger looms

A reward, a prize
At the end

Or do all
Fall victim

To the pull of
Physical attraction

Where does the pure heart go
Simpering
In a corner

Lamenting its fate

Or triumphant
Knowing tomorrow is
Another day

Bayaw

aka Brothers in Law

Philippines 2009

Details  Philippine Entertainment Portal

Seen 20 November 2009






How apt
Brothers in law
In more ways than one

As always
There is more to it
That what we see

The daily hassle
Arguments
Put downs

Come to a boiling point
One day, one moment
Something snapped

Thus began
The journey
To escape

Freedom?
Elusive

Changes?
Doubtful

Sacrifices?
Definitely

And the heart?
Remains a question

8 1/2 Women

UK 1999

Details  imdb

Seen 24 October 2009




When death comes
Things change
Or we want, desire
That change

This happens
When we have lost
A lifetime companion
Someone
Who has been with us
From the beginning

A part of us
Which we could never imagine
Being without

So we start anew
Discovering
Exploring

New vistas open up
New experiences
A new life
Renewed

Yes, it does take all sorts
All kinds of relationships

Fantasies are now realities
Immense pleasure
Satisfaction

But of course
There are trade offs

But for one
He went away
Happily