What's eating Gilbert Grape?

I've seen this film years ago but I never forget it. It's a bit bizzare that it wasn't a fantastical story of triumph like Forrest Gump, yet its simplicity spoke to me.

This is a story about life and what we are dealt with. We can feel bad and blame others for our misfortumes, and we can also be hopeful and fix our own future. There is a reason why we are this way, and this movie encourages us to view our fellow human beings with more empathy, desire to understand and compassion because that is waht everyone needs.

Jellyfish

LOVE. LONGING. MAGIC

Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen’s 2007 entry to the Cannes Film festival proved to be worthy of its Camera D’ Or. In fact, I think it should have won an Oscar too. I am not kidding. I so love this film that I entreat everyone who can read subtitles or at least speak Hebrew to watch this film, especially if you are a Filipino.
We first see the newly single Batya in an akward goodbye scene with her ex-boyfriend. She looked sad but she wasn’t crying and she didn’t ask him to stay. In this film the stories of three women intersect at a Tel Aviv Wedding. Batya worked as a waitress; Joy, a Filipina a caregiver for an elderly woman; and the bride who sprained her ankle, ruining her dream honeymoon.
The actress who played Batya hardly spoke but her eyes and movements say it all. I am thankful that the role of Joy was given to a relatively . Keren the bride is the character I liked least because she seemed so demanding and spoiled by her dotting husband.
I was intrigued at first as to why they would include a story about a Filipino OCW in their film. I transcribed an interview of Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret which surprised me and made me admire them even more:

“Because of the harsh political reality in Israel, most of the social issues have been forgotten. Both in the representation in art but also in everyday life, and there is something about the Filipino people that in a sense they are almost invisible. You see many of them walking down streets taking care of the elderly but basically when people go in the street, they look through them; they do not exist. Shira was fascinated with the story because there was something ironic with the fact that the Filipinos leave their children behind to come and take care of some elderly person instead of their children. So it’s like a circle; you neglect your own child so you can take care of somebody else’s parent because his child doesn’t want to take care of him. And because she experience such a relationship between her grandmother and a Filipino woman took care of her became good friends with her and also changed the grandmother’s attitude to life it was very natural for Shira to chose this story and I felt was an important story to tell.” (Etgar Keret)

Oh and the kid, of course! Batya found a child by the beach wearing a lifesaver around her waist. I thought it was amusing, seeing that the kid had red hair and doesn't speak, maybe she is Irish and doesn't understand Hebrew, funny how the other people didn't ask her in English. Lost in translation once again. On another hand, I may just be generalizing and that is not good either. The kid seem to be a guide for Batya, and led her to Malka who somehow helped her get in touch with her childhood memories.

One criticsm though: I just thought it was impractical of Joy to bring the giant ship back home to the Philippines as a carry on luggage, but that's just me.

Obviously I really love this film and I give it a grade of 93. See the trailer below.

200 pounds of beauty

Through the urging of my good friend Shella, I watched this film in Youtube.

This film is about a woman who went through plastic surgery. I was skeptical at first as I didn't know what the movie was trying to do. Is it trying to denounce or advocate cosmetic surgery? By the looks of the girl in the fatsuit, she wans't happy and through a series of events, she was able to undergo the procedures.

It talked about ideas of beauty and identity. Is beauty involves only having a pretty face and body? They seem to take this issue in a nonjudgemental way, which is not what I expect.

The ending was good too, the girl didn't get the guy, but it was in her own terms. It's still not clear if the guy loved her when she was fat, but it seemed like he did care.

At the end I think this movie is saying it's OK to have cosmetic surgery as long one is open about it doesn't claim to be naturally endowed.

Watch it if you are into Korean films.

[500] Days of Summer

I really liked the movie, I don’t care what critics say about their “lack of Chemistry”. It’s supposed to be like that, geez, did they really watch the films they reviewed in its entirety?
I really don’t know how to categorize this movie. I don’t think it’s a romantic-comedy, it’s a coming of age, tragic, comedy. It is told in a non-linear fashion which challenges the idea on how stories need to be told. It is about a relationship that didn’t work. And the interesting thing is that most people I’ve polled identified with Tom’s character, even the ones who are have obviously pulled a “summer”. The reason for this, in my humble opinion, is that we remember the times our heart were broken and we try to forget the times we broke other people’s hearts. Sometimes we even break hearts without even knowing it.
Another aspect of this film I enjoyed is the architecture. It showcased Los Angeles is a different light. When I think of L.A. visions of Disneyland and the Chinese Theatre comes to my mind and not the buildings, park, and streets that I saw in the film. This is very refreshing and it made a little sad to find out that they considered San Francisco first for the movie. The change was probably made due to the increasingly unfavorable regulations in filming in the city.
If you have a heart, I think you should watch this film

Invictus

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

- by William Earnest Henley

__________________

Ah, exquisite! I think this poem is now on the top of my list of favorites.

I just watched the film with the same title and I was struck once again by the unifying effects of sports, especially team sports. I this case, the sport is Rugby and South Africa's victory at the 1995 rugby world cup helped the country in their much needed recovery after abolishment of Apartheid.

In the film, Mandela asked Pienaar, " How do you lead your team?" and Pienaar answered, " By example, sir." Very simple, yet the best answer I think. It wasn't the first thing that came to my mind, I was thinking more in the lines of motivation and inspiration, yet it is true; before we can inspire and motivate as leaders it is best to lead by example and in severe cases, it is also useful to draw upon the example of others.

I saw a great parallel in teaching. As teachers, we are leaders. In these troubled times all the more we should be leading by example as well as employing the examples of others in order to guide our students in becoming good citizens. We are building our nation, one class at a time and what we are doing is similar to what nation builders such as Nelson Mandela did.