Outside the law (Hor la loi)

France 2010

Details imdb

Seen 13 April 2012

The tumultous journey of freedom fighters

They lost their land

That was the beginning

They lost each other during the years ensuing

Then they reunited

They are different

In character and temperament

Survival and the future

That was the main concerns

While idealism and dreams that seem unreachable

Will always be there

One uses his street smarts

One uses his strength

One uses his intellect

Different approaches but the blood in their veins

Are from the same source and beginning

Caught up in the bigger picture

They will try to follow their intended destiny

Making a mark

Leaving a legacy

So that their land becomes free

Born into brothels

USA 2004

Details imdb

Seen 12 April 2012

Is there hope for children in the red light district area?

An outsider tries to help

The children of an area

Shunned by the officials

The children stigmatised

By the fact that they are living in the brothels

Children are children wherever they are

Always hungry for attention, kindness

Some have it, others don't

Some may escape their fate

Others are destined to stay

The outsiders try

Despite the odds

To help, to give hope

The battle is not a total lost

But any lost

Is painful to bear

The triumphs are few and far between

Those must be celebrated and

We must strive and work harder so that there will be more

Celebrations

The children

Have we failed them?

Confessions (Kokuhaku)

Japan 2010

Details imdb

Seen 11 April 2012

Dark, troubling confessions gives insight into events that unfold

The series of confessions

Reveals the kept secrets

The obvious

That only we know

Many would say life is to be savoured

That is the common perception

But what if

Life has not been what it is touted to be

When life is not as expected

Shouldn't we take control

And make life more worthwhile

According to our mould

Some may feel the life of others are of no concern

Until they touch your own life

Then a decision has to be made

For better or worse

So that life is not wasted

On those who do not deserve that opportunity

Snow (Snijeg)

Bosnia 2008

Details  mamafilm

Seen 10 April 2012

A village comes to terms with its past and future in the post war years

Can we ever forget the past

When we are the so-called lucky survivors

When our everyday lives are reminders of what happened to loved ones

The uncertainty of their fate

The never diminishing dream that miracles can happen

We carry on in our quest to be independent

Despite the hardships and barriers that come along

Despite the temptations of a so-called better life

Despite the prodding of others

Despite the doubts of our decision

Standing firm against the odds

Not wavering

Discovering the fate of our loved ones

Signals a catharsis

An acceptance of what happened

The time has come for a new beginning

Marked by the first snow fall

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

USA 2011

Details wikipedia

Seen 9 April 2012

This American production managed to stand on its own with a different emphasis and approach from the Swedish version

Evil knows no boundaries

Does not recognize friends or foe or even family

In this cauldron we have the two

The investigative reporter and the unconventional researcher

The two are outsiders, the best in their fields

Togther to solve a mystery

The family has secrets, deep secrets, hidden from the outside world

A world of transgressions

Despite the veneer of normalcy

Undercurrents, misery, unspoken deeds

How does someone escape from such a fate

With cunning and some help

The present has to put a closure to the past

The two outsiders are there to find the answer

While they themselves struggle to come to terms

With their own demons

They will do their best to shed light

On the dark past

Belukar

Malaysia 2010

Details  myac.asia

Seen 8 April 2012

Plus: Daphne Iking, Bront Palarae

Minus: Loose ends tied up too neatly

A man professes his love for the woman

The one and only woman that he desires

Promises his life even

Are those mere words

Or can it be proven

The twists and turns

The blows, the danger

He accepts it all

In the name of love

Cliches

There is more to it than meets the eye

All linked to the past

The lives of another from the past

Shaped what she is now

The past might be years ago

The present will close that episode

Her plan will succeed

With friends and lover in tow

A final closure is what she wants

Will it go according to plan?

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes)

Sweden 2009

Details rottentomatoes

Seen 7 April 2012

Caught in the bigger scheme of intrigue and secrecy

A pawn

She suffered, through her childhood

Suffers still, through adulthood

Strong, determined, that is her only salvation

She was not the bad guy

More of the fall guy

And how far down they want her to fall

Fall into a bottomless pit

That is the plan

To let her fall and dissappear forever

Alas, she is one in a million

With abundant tenacity and fighting spirit

Never giving up

The enemy do not realise the strength of that girl

It will be a battle of wits and derring do

The fight will continue till the very end

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden)

Sweden 2009

Details  imdb

Seen 5 April 2012

A victim remembers

The guilty party remembers

Society forgets

Even after decades after the incident

Victim and attacker are still linked

She can't and will never forget that day

The gift of photograpic memory will not allow that advantage

He can't forget either

Scarred for life, a badge of honour

Of actions in the past

The present brings them together again

This time it will close a chapter

They have to confront their past lives

Beyond regret, remorse and other emotional baggage

So the future can be better

The girl with the dragon tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor)

Sweden 2009

Details  imdb

Seen 4 April 2012

Two lives intertwined

A reporter, a researcher

A man, a woman

Everyone has secrets

And both join forces to uncover those secrets

What a journey, such a discovery

Through decades of deceit and untold depravity

Crimes in the name of power, hatred

Takes its toll on the weak, unknown, helpless victims

Perpetrators continue their game

Stalking, for the next to be sacrificed on the altar

Unknown to others the woman has a secret

A deep secret that records and remembers the injustice suffered

That experience made her what she is today

Tough, hard, strong but still vulnerable

Then the man comes along

Does she need that other person in her life

Sometimes, or all the times

Whatever the outcome

It has to be on her terms

Senjakala

Malaysia 2011

Details  movies.insing

Seen 22 March 2012

Dusk

The hours when daylight turns into nightfall

Not a good time to be outdoors

As there are other beings waiting to play

Children are thought to be indoors

As a precaution

That their playmates do not enter the realm of humans

But what can one do

When it is your destiny

To be a part of the other world

Through no fault of your own

And the time has come

That you take your place

Inherit the gift

Like it or not

It searches, it wants the rightful owner

To take over

A temporary abode is not what it wants

Patiently it waits until the time comes

Nasi Lemak 2.0

Malaysia 2011

Details en.wikipedia

Seen 13 January 2012

Rice, dominant in lives

Is it so hard to make it well

Yes and no

There are so many cooking styles

Different taste buds will give different answers

What is good to you, may not be to others

What is the secret

So the journey begins to find the ultimate

The ingredients that accompany the dish

The philosophy behind the dish

A quest that takes time and effort

In the end, it is not the individual parts that make it such

A dish to die for

It is the combination, all together in harmony

Just as in reality

A society has many parts, each unique in its own way

Together they are a force to be reckoned with

Apart, they are fragile and vulnerable

The choice is ours

Vikingland (Terra de Vikingos)

Spain 2011

Details nationalmediamuseum

Seen 12 November 2011

White, snow, ice, cold

Men working, ordinary lives

Mother nature, harsh, heartless

Men still work, despite the known environment

Camaraderie among fellow workers

Friendships made, bound toegther

In a harsh land

But there is laughter, fun and games

Working together, however mundane

Has its highlights

Known only to those who have the same experience

Jermal

Indonesia 2008

Details imdb

Seen 12 November 2011

The sea is the backdrop

The boys, the men

A father, a son

The sea a witness

Seems silent, full of secrets

Secrets of the past

And the sea becomes a refuge

A means to escape the reality

Until reality comes to shake up the scene

Memories from the past

Why can't they stay in the past

Why must it be present

Why must it be so painful

The hurt, is there any way to escape that hurt

The sea comes to the rescue

For a moment, no forever

It is not the solution

As your place is not at sea

You belong somewhere else

You have to start anew

The past will remain in memory

But for now

The present is here, the reality

It has to be faced

Whatever the consequence

The sea is not the protection, solution

The End (Al Nihaya)

Morocco 2011

Details  insomnia-sales

Seen 29 October 2011

Love, strange,perplexing

Others do not seem to understand

There is a bond, connection

Between the two love birds

Despite the odds, hurdles, impediments

Along the way

They will strive to maintain their love

Strong

The kids are all right

USA 2010

Details imdb

Seen 28 October 2011

Two mothers, a daughter and son

Is enough to make a family

But when the father comes into the picture

Late in their lives

He who was not even supposed to be there

Lives orderly and mundane before

Changes

The children are growing up

The mothers are getting into a routine

The father is the new element

The fresh air

That opens the doors to new outlooks, insights

Emotions held within

Kept under pressure

Are finding an outlet, a valve

To let go, to find a way, an outlet, a path, an avenue

Is it just a momentary lapse

Or is this a new beginning

Of a different set up

A foreign element, unknown quantity

A catalyst, that will come to rest

Making itself at home

It is a test

Of how the love nurtured, built up

Along the way

The years that saw the relationship

Through its ebbs and flows

Survives

Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World

USA 2003

Details  imdb

Seen 26 October 2011

Dangerous seems an understatement

The norm to be what society dictates

A character not your own

A personality so foreign

An abomination

Asia, Africa, Latin America, the developing continents

An accepted facet of the society

Now no longer

The perception, acceptance changed

Those tolerated, held high

Are now the lowliest of low

To be chased like common criminals

For a crime of heart

It is a desire

Inborn, naturally

The person would know who he or she is

No one else

Has the power to change, impose

Their own designs, intentions

Through the brutality, torture and unspeakable acts

In the name of religion and everything for all

These minority are hounded

Lives spied on, feeling unsafe in your own abode

Bringing fear and sadness, pain and suffering

Not only to yourself

But to those near and dear to you

When will it stop

Will it ever stop

The struggle is still an uphill battle

Each victory however small or insignificant

To be savoured

As drops of dew are precious in the arid desert

Precious indeed  

The Servant

South Korea 2010

Details  hancinema

Seen 25 October 2011

The first look, sets a heart afire

From that moment on

Smitten, never giving up

To possess, to own, to say she is yours

Your own

Passion definitely between two bodies, a burning desire

Learning, stumbling, getting to know each other better

Reality has to be faced

There are so many obstacles

Circumstances that do not allow

Sacrifices that has to be made

Even when sometimes it is so painful

Hurt

The love is strong

They endure

There will be many other hardships

But for now, this moment

All seems at peace

Reflections in a golden eye

USA 1967

Details  imdb

Seen 23 October 2011

An instinct, intrinsic

Feelings that one kindred spirit is near

Physically near but could never be yours

Admiration from afar

Obsession, despite the odds

Urges, from within triggers an action

Continuously

Seeking fulfilment

Doubtful success will ever materialise

As an outsider to the bigger picture

What can be done

Observe, admire, protect

As much as possible

Finally, it does come to a stop

Tragedies, upheavals

Victims they are

Winners they are not

Mavro LIvadi aka Black Field

Greece 2009

Details projectcinemaas

Seen 9 October 2011

Black, bleak, foreboding

Windswept vistas, harsh reality

Surviving in such a landscape

With the help of others

Unfortunately

It was a deed that brings consequences

Unknown, bewildered, to the self

In an environment alien and strange to others

There the self find comfort and solace

It is a temporary respite

As the outside world beckons

Where reality comes headlong

Screaming, struggling

Showing the real self

Hidden all these years

Now at peace

Understanding the differences

Acknowledging what has happened

Anticipating what the future brings

A journey still

Assume nothing

New Zealand 2009

Details docnz

Seen 25 September 2011

Yes, of course we should not assume

But human nature seems otherwise

Preconceptions heavy in the air

Permeates the pores, heavy with images

From days past, carried over to the present

These are women, men, and those in between

A whole spectrum, a rainbow of colours

Myriad, encompassing so many

A variety, a conundrum

Against the norm, prejudices

Pioneers in a way

Blazing open a path

For others to follow

So many do it their way

Despite the odds

To stay true to themselves

Despite what happened

Despite what the future may bring

They are among us

They have made a choice

Rejoice

It is a celebration

The multi-faceted man