The Mirror

Iran 1997

Picture and details imdb

Seen 8 November 2006

Revealing film on the social mores of the Iranian society s seen through a girl’s perspective. A girl tries to find her way home on her own after school. Her mother who usually picks her up from her primary school did not turn up on that particular day. We see how the girl tries to go home with the help of elders she encounters along the way. We are able to get a glimpse of the social make-up of the Iranian society through the girl’s eyes and ears – women’s role in society, how the elders are treated, relationships between the sexes, how people cope with living in a city like Teheran. Midway through the film, the actor who plays the girls decides to stop acting. But the camera rolls on to capture her real life situation which is almost a mirror image to the story line of the film. The child actor is a gem. A natural as the whole film depends on her.

Munich

USA 2005

Picture and details imdb

Seen 22 October 2006

Vengeance. Does it solve anything? As the protagonist in the film slowly realises the killings in the name of justice for the oppressed, in this case the Jews, is not a solution. Each killing is repaid in kind by the enemy. More are killed and most of them are innocents. The counter attacks continue and each side justifies their means in the name of religion and race. Troubling story but we can still see the same solution being used by everyone.

Boys' Choir

Japan 2000

Picture and details amazon

Seen 16 October 2006

Mishio, an orphan starts a new life in a Christian run orphanage. Mishio is befriended by Yasuo, the star falsetto in the school's choir. We also get a dedicated music teacher but he is hounded by his past as a revolutionary student. The mix of comradeship, love, ideals and their downturns populate the story. The end is not rosy but a new beginning for all.

The Road to Love

France 2003

Picture and details amazon

Seen 10th October 2006

This is a journey of discovery. A sexual awakening for Karim who has not acknowledged his other side until he meets Farid. Karim started with a project on the lives of Arab gays and his encounter with the self-assured Farid opens the door to new beginnings. The film does delve into the historical background of homosexuality in Arabian society and how the men cope with society and religion's treatment of their sexual orientation. The video camera approach works in this aspect because we get a documentary style of telling the story. The viewer feels much more intimate with the subject of the film. Karim manages to find himself in the end and in the process comes to terms with his sexual identity.

U-Carmen eKhayelitsha

South Africa 2005

Picture moviegoods
Details imdb

Seen 9th October 2006

Wow. Make that triple wow. A South African version of the opera Carmen and it is sung in Xhosa. The actor who played Carmen made her presence felt in every scene and the ensemble does not disappoint. Entertaining from all aspects - art direction, acting, the singers. My fortunate find for 2006.
The refrain from one of the scenes keeps haunting the psyche.

Love's a bird that no one tames No sooner caged than it flies away No one can control it I ignore all the rules Love's a stranger to me If you don't want me, then I'm yours But if I want you, then best beware Beware that love.

O Fantasma

Portugal 2000

Picture and details imdb/

Seen 5 October 2006

Obsession. Sexual gratification. Fetishes. Fantasy. Games people play to satisfy themselves. In this film, Sergio is obsessed by a man he meets on his rounds as a garbage collector. Sergio loves sex, with either a woman or man. He takes pleasure in physical domination, either he is the dominant partner or otherwise. He also finds gratification playing with himself while fantasising about the person he likes. The ultimate act for him came when he abducts his object of desire but he did not finish what he intended to do in the first place - satisfy his sexual needs. Instead he runs off to the city garbage dumps, just meandering as if the animal instinct in him prefers the hunt rather than the final catch.

Eiffel I'm In Love

Indonesia 2003

Picture organum.net
Details imdb

Seen 4 October 2006

A simple teenager's love story. Boy has promised to take care of girl when they were still young friends. They meet up again when the boy comes back from abroad. He does not forget his promise and tries to woo back the girl. The girl was not impressed by the first encounter after the long separation. He tries his utmost to win the girl's heart during his two week stay but his gruff manners makes it difficult for the girl to accept him. Eventually, circumstances change and they meet up again in Paris for Valentine's day. The ultimate day for lovers, eh? In this instance, they still have to come to terms with their different temperaments. Success? Maybe.

A Bigger Splash

UK 1974

Picture and details imdb

Seen 3 October 2006

Astounding. The creative journey of artist David Hockney who plays himself in this remarkable documentary. We get to see the artistic thought processes, the germination of an idea until it comes alive to be admired by all and sundry. It is eerie that those who are close to the artist, are depicted so succintly on canvas. The painstaking time spent to take countless photographs of his subject for a project reflects his thorough method besides the normal sketches. He is fastidious. I guess minute details does not escape his artist's eyes. An eye-opener.

Goodbye Boys

Malaysia 2006

Picture and details redfilms

Seen 2 October 2006

The title says it all. The end of boyhood and the beginning of a new phase in any teenager's life. A realisation that adulthood is beckoning and beguilling with its myriad of possibilities. The coming of age journey of eight boys while they hike through the countryside. Their aim to get the Scout's King's Badge. But they also discover their inner selves and have a keener sense of the world around them at the end of the journey. Most of the actors are amateurs and it shows in some scenes when if feels like they were delivering long soliloquys. The photography and art direction is commendable as we get to see the old towns and remnants of the glory days of the tin mining areas. Good effort but the voice over of each character sometimes feel too much like commandments along the lines of "we must do good unto thy neighbour".

Kwan Riam

Thailand 2001

Picture and details hkflix

Seen 13 September 2006

A Thai love story. Village boy loves village head’s daughter. Many obstacles along the way – a far richer suitor, girl sold off to pay father’s debts, unsuccessful search for girl in the big city and the ultimate test at the end. The final scene was a bit melodramatic but sits in very well with the whole concept of the film. This is a story interspersed with scenes of the wind and water changing every time a major event happens to the main characters. There are also some songs in the background which highlights the feelings of the doomed couple especially whenever they are having the blues without the other. A sentimental story but entertaining if you just let yourself follow the flow.

Nico and Dani

Spain 2000

Picture and details imdb

Seen 5 September 2006

Coming of age movie. Two teenage boys who spent their summer holidays at the beach discover that their close friendship goes beyond mere companionship. They brag about their sexual conquests and delight in showing off their prowess to the girls. But Dani finds himself attracted to Nico not just as a friend and goes through an emotional discovery about his feelings. Nico himself may have denied that he has the same feelings at first but does acknowledge those thoughts in the end. The friendship remains but whether it will go beyond that stage in future is another question.

Goddess of Mercy

Hong Kong 2003

Picture and details hkflix

Seen 27th August 2006

Sad. True to life especially the sayings on love. For example one of the characters in the film said, “I do not understand love but I understand hope”. In this case hope may have been the catalyst for the survival of the main character, a policewoman caught up in a love triangle. She already has fiancee, but finds herself entangled with another man. Unfortunately, that man is a rogue, a criminal. In the line of duty, she had to follow the rules, and the criminal’s parents die as martyrs in the eyes of their children. That incident starts a revenge trail that follows her wherever she goes.

The goddess of mercy in this instance does her work in mysterious ways. The tale does not end on a happy note, with all loose ends tidied up, but there are glimmers of hope for the future. In that sense, that is how merciful fate can be. The characters may have a bleak and dark past but hope is eternal. That keeps humanity itself forging ahead.

Mandragora

Czech Republic 1997

Picture and details imdb

Seen 23 August 2006

Reality. Disturbing. The film focuses on Marek, one out of hundreds of the daily runaways found in the big cities of the Czech Republic. In this case the big bad but beautiful Prague. He is the typical adolescent growing up in a small town with no hopes of improving his position in life if he stays put. He will eventually in all likelihood be another factory worker like his father.

Marek encounters his first dose of reality when he steps off the railway station in Prague. No money, no friends. This is where the reality of being a runaway in a big city strikes homes. A pimp befriends Marek and immediately sets him up with his first customer. He goes through his rites of passage in the big city - a painful passage.

From that moment on, Marek goes through all the nitty gritty of surviving as a child prostitute, he is barely sixteen. The last parts of the film show how Marek'’s father tries to find him but Marek'’s life has gone through so much change that a happy ever after scene is not in the picture.

The actor who played Marek was very good. His facial expression just pleads for mercy when he was in the throes of danger. There is a blank look in his eyes when the beatings and torture at the hands of perverts ends. He faces another day with his body contorted in pain. He is just an empty shell, a vessel to be used by those who pay for his services. An existence, not a life.

The River

Taiwan 1997

Picture and details imdb

Seen 17 August 2006

A lyrical visually stunning film. The plot revolves around Xiao-kang who became an extra in a film. He was required to simulate a corpse floating in a river. After the filming, he starts getting pains in his neck and we see how this affects his parents and he himself. The family might be living together but each of them lead very separate lives. The son's malady brings forth forces previously kept secret. The director loves to take long shots which enhances the mood of the characters. The lighting technique is also another device to lure the audience further into the story. Shadows play a big role at the beginning of some scenes before everything turns pitch black for at least a few minutes where you can only see flickers of light. Not much dialogue as the focus is more on lingering scenes which tell the story better. A normal family drama it is not.

My Summer of Love

Britain 2004

Picture allposters
Details mysummeroflovemovie

Seen 16 August 2006

Two girls meet during the school summer holidays. Mona, an independent with ambitions to get a better life when she gets out of her own small town. Tamsyn, a rich kid with vivid imagination. Throw in as well into the plot, Mona's brother, a born again Christian. The two girls discover friendship, love and betrayal. Fortunately, the ending did not turn melodramatic. The actors are newcomers but manage to bring the plot to life. The director's style of an unhurried pace lets the audience get under the skin of the characters. A rite of passage for the girls in a way but will definitely leave a mark on their lives.

Gohatto

Japan 1999

Picture and details imdb

Seen 14th August 2006

The film is also known as "Taboo" in English. Taboo in this context is the love between men. The story centers on Kano, the object of desire among the samurais. His first lover was a fellow new recruit but others are also besotted by his androgynous beauty. The commander of the unit turns a blind eye to the goings-on but had to take a more constructive action when one of the men died in mysterious circumstances. The leader felt that Kano might be the cause of that death. He tries to turn Kano into a "real" man but failed miserably. In the end, Kano himself is given the mission to kill his first lover who is suspected of being the man behind the murder. The final scene is very surreal, taking the audience beat by heart beat to the climax. Sensitivity, beauty and pathos come together. The Ryuichi Sakamoto score is very apt enhancing the overall mood of the story.

Garcon Stupide

France 2004

Picture and details imdb

Seen 9 August 2006

Also known as "Stupid Boy" in English. Is Loic (the main character) really a stupid boy? He has sexual escapades almost every other day. The meet, bang, thanks, good bye variety. He also has a platonic relationship with a girl who understands and even tolerates his behaviour. A buddy. His outlook towards life began to change when he meets an older man who does not get physical on the first encounter. His thought processes changes and the happy equilibrium of bygone days disappears. A new Loic emerges at the end who knows with conviction what he wants out of life. The old wandering Loic is history.

The King and the Clown

South Korea 2005

Picture and details hancinema

Seen 7 August 2006

Engrossing. Enthralling. The first strains of the soundtrack itself has already pulled me into the story. The story revolves around two jesters who find their way into the palace. Unbeknownst to them, there is intrigue and plots aplenty in those magnificent surroundings. These are part and parcel of the shenanigans and devious back stabbing that seems to be a normal occurrence in the palace. The jesters find themselves a part of this palace play with no means of escape as the king has taken a fancy to one of the jesters. Unfortunately, others are scheming and using any means at their disposal to get rid of these country bumpkins. The love between the two is put to the test on numerous occasions. In the end, one of them did make the ultimate sacrifice to save the other from the king's wrath. The king himself is at the end of his reign by the end of the story. His downfall comes after so much blood has been spilt needlessly.

Jan Dara

Thailand 2001

Picture and details imdb

Seen 28 July 2006

A man brought up by a surrogate father and a benevolent aunt grows up bitter with all the negative traits of the father multiplied a few times over. His only true love died while he was away. He himself was brought up in a household where sexual encounters are just acts to satisfy a physical need. This is Jan's background and his present life is just a continuation of that past.

Paragraph 175

Germany 2000

Picture and details imdb

Seen 22 July 2006

The paragraph refers to the section of the German law that details the punishment for same sex offences. This piece of law was used extensively during the Nazi era. This documentary highlights the few survivors from that period. Some of them were homosexuals but there was a Frenchman who was not gay but was imprisoned and tortured under that paragraph. He could not forget the abuses he suffered at the hands of the Nazis. He even carried this hatred of the Nazis to encompass all Germans but managed to open up and tell his side of the story during the interview. The others also had their share of horrors. All of them survived through sheer determination and maybe even a bit of luck. A damning episode for humanity.