Reviews

Godard is considered on of the best directors ever and this is a good example why. The illogical stupidity of war is well reflected in a very illogical screenplay. The director made a deep reflection of things around the war. Stupid arguments to join the army like everything is permitted: to ripe, to steal, to kill innocents, to have a lot of richness, to visit different countries, to have immunity because a letter from the king. Then when the men of the house were convinced to join the king's army started a very interesting sequences where they are describing brutalities of the combats with an apparently cold blood. Actually we can see the handwriting on screen: "We shoot the rebels on the head, we bury them in a common hole, when is full just put some soil on the top". The movie continues in a series of sequences between the two male main characters (Michel Angelo and Ulyses, performed by Albert Juross and Marino Mase, respectively) and the two females at home (Catherine Ribeiro and Genieveve Galea, Cleopatre and Venus). The contact between them is the letters and postcards, where they described a lot of war insanities.

A good sequence occurs when Michel Angelo meets the movies for the first time. He is almost in the front and he reacts with the events in the screen: he feels terrified when the train is arriving to the station and he wanted to "see more" when the young lady is taking a shower. The end is probably the most coherent result of the incoherences showed. The two guys returned home with nothing but postcards as the only richness they obtained and cruel dead at the hands of the men (the rifle men) who recruited them in the first place. At the end war, is so absurd that only absurd things could result of it.

This film was written by Jean-Luc Godard with Roberto Rosellini, based in the homonym play by Beniammino Joppolo. In the natural way of Godard's early films, his technique is full of direct cuts and against Hollywood standards: the camera follows the action and there is no real sequence between the shots. Anyhow the result is superb. If you like different proposals with lot of criticism and situations to make you think and you are against the war and stupidity you will like this movie, if not, well make your conclusions.

Director Ki-Duk Kim gave us an emotive history divided in three parts. Probably a lot of viewers think on this movie as sad, frustrating and even violent, but in fact this film is nothing but an optimistic way to see life and to bring people with simplicity and second chances. We are humans and we have the right to make mistakes, some times you won't have the chance to redeem your self, but in other cases you have that opportunity.

In the first history, we can witness the deep friendship between two teenager girls (Yeo-Jin and Jae-Yeong). Both have different characters: one is a happy and optimistic girl, she always has a smile in her face; the other girl on the contrary has a terrible attitude against everyone but her father and girlfriend. They are prostitutes, at least one arranges everything and the other do the "dirty job". So far the main history involves only the two young girls. They have a detailed black book with the names and telephones of their clients. Then the ending, a fatal catastrophe. Police finds out that a minor is in a room with and adult. The girl jumps out of a window and hits her head against the floor. She dies the day after with a big smile. The other girl starts shouting: Stop laughing! Stop laughing! The second history is about redemption: The girl feels guilty about her friend, so she decides to settle up appointments with all the customers to have sex with them and to return the payment made to the other girl. She changed her attitude radically and starts smiling, just like her friend. She realizes that every time she returns the money, she starts feeling better and better. One day she was with one client and her father was in the opposite building. He saw his daughter in a room with a man. He can't believe it and in this exactly point is where the third story begins.

This sub-plot, is the most violent and in the same time the most beautiful of the movie. Violent at the beginning because the police officer (father of the girl) wants revenge. In his quest he attacks the man who was with his little one at the motel, he is responsible of a man's suicide and responsible of a murder, violent murder. The list was complete and then the history becomes beautiful. The father looks with his daughter forgiveness and a new beginning. In the grave of the death mother, they started a ritual. In the way back from the grave, took place the most beautiful scene of the movie: the car is stocked, the father removes some rocks from the stocked tire, but not enough. Returns to the car and close his eyes. The girl got out of the car and starts to remove the remaining rocks. An excellent sequence, we can solve our problems together! We are here for that. They spend the night in an old cabin. He told his daughter a history about one's virgin appearance in the top of a hill. They did the same. He returned the virginity to his daughter. She realizes that he knows. In the middle of the night he cries. By the end of the movie the girl has a dream where the father is killing and buried her, but when she woke up her father made something totally different: taught her how to drive car. They started the lessons and the father said: Now is the turn to drive by your own! A police car arrives and the father got in. The girl started to drive but she was unable to follow the police car. She is now by her own, but with a new beginning.

A very emotive film, with excellent cinematography. Kim, besides to be the director, is responsible of writing, editing, producing and even set decoration. I recommend this movie to watch, analyze and comment about it. Another thing about this film is the acting performances by the two young girls. A must see movie.

I bought a 5 DVD Jan Sverak's collection in Czech Republic, containing five of his most representative films (Kolya, Elementary School, Dark Blue, The ride and Akumulator I). As an extra material (and for my fortune), producers included the short film Ropáci (Oil Globbers) about a very strange creature that lives in the most polluted conditions and eats every oil related material. This 20 minutes material is about the adventure of a questing team that is very interested to find out the "urban legend" of a strange animal that lives in the most adverse conditions. The first ten minutes present sequences that aware the viewer about proofs of live of this strange specimen. Then the Director presents the first animal in its habitat. Shocking images. This is a very good example that we can be surprised by new things everyday. When we think that we have seen everything there is a short film that show us that something new could surprise us. The question is: this creature is for real? Or is just a cinema trick? Well the best answer is to watch the film and make our best conclusions. Mine? Well I would rather have the position to believe that this is a new animal, but I will maintain my skepticism. Mr Sverak, thanks for this short film.

This film is about one of the darkest pages of Mexican history. After almost 6 months of political tension between a huge student movement and different political institutions, Mexican government decides to use the military forces against them just 10 days before the Olympic Games. The result was a man slaughter against dozens of students. Director Jorge Fons presents the sequence of that day, October the 2nd. At the beginning we can see the calendar noting precisely that day, during the morning. A preface for a catastrophe. Then the members of the family are showed: the father (Héctor Bonilla) who works for the government and knows that something could be wrong in the confusing political environment; the grandfather (excellent performance by Jorge Fegán), former military member, retired and against any kind of subversive acts and of course against the student movement. The two oldest sons (Bichir brothers, Demian and Bruno) actively involved in all the aspects of the student riots. The mother (excellent performed by one of the most important Mexican contemporary filming actress, María Rojo) who is in the middle of every particular conflict; she is the mediator between every character in her family and try to keep the harmony in the house. Then the youngest kids (brother and sister) who barely understand what is happening, but are circumstantially witnesses of all events. In a very interesting sequence, all members are sharing breakfast in a traditional Mexican way. The environment is full of details: Beatles music on the radio, Che Guevara's picture on the wall, conversations about the massive concentration planned for the afternoon, discussions about the potential dangerous results of the student's riots, ideology about the circumstances around the movement, etc. Everything is in place to better understand the upcoming events.

Fons then prepare the scene with apparently meaningless sequences: A blackout, a missing call from the husband, death telephones, some armed persons at the roof of the building when grand father and grand son are playing with small soldiers, the youngest sister going to a friend's house to do her homework. During the first hour all the action took place in the little apartment with apparently no signs of action. In fact nothing happens outside the apartment, but the director creates an atmosphere of tension and doubt before the important event of the day. The apartment is located in the middle of the tragedy. Outside, some other buildings creates an open square (named "Plaza de las tres culturas") and precisely there, the massive concentration of students is scheduled to start at 5 PM. The grandfather comments with his daughter about the military presence and the snipers at the roof of each building. Why? She asks. The answer is very simple: because they are prepared for something big. Then the massive meeting begins. In the apartment the little boy is doing his homework, the mother is sewing and the grand father is fixing an old watch, but we can clearly hear the speech, there is a lot of people outside. Everything is in calm, a disturbing calm. Then, the inevitable. Red lights on the sky and a lot of gun shots. The mother lean out of the window and start screaming: They are killing them!!! They are killing them!!!

The second part of the movie begins, the sons arrived with four other students, one of them is wounded (Eduardo Palomo) and is bleeding badly. Outside the gun shots can be heard briefly but consistently, as well as the screams and the shouts. The grand father decides to pick up his grand daughter and we can see a sequence with military people hitting students and a lot of blood in the corridor. The students, safe at home start to talk about what happened down stairs, disturbing stories. Apparently the soldiers opened fire with no real reason, killing a lot of people, not only students but small children, civilians even senior citizens. The father finally arrives after midnight and tells the family about military trucks transporting dead bodies and naked people arrested and severely wounded. Then turned on the TV to see the news and the official version is that the military squads were being supported the police forces in order to calm down some urban fighting between students. Incredible, but media is controlled by the government, someone commented. Everyone goes to sleep and seems like the end of the movie is near, but some knockings at the door interrupt the peace and quiet at the apartment. Some voices claiming to open the door. Armed people, a lot of bad words. A tragic ending if you can figure out and the last scene is disturbing, the little boy is the only survivor and start walking outside the apartment seeing all the members of his family murdered. When he is in the square the last shot presented some military members cleaning up the mess. 10 days, just ten days after that episode, the Mexican President leaded the events for the Olympic Games opening.

The film is very good, with strong acting performances and a solid screenplay (written by Guadalupe Ortega and Xavier Robles). The picture received 9 Ariel awards (oscar equivalent for Mexican pictures) including the golden Ariel for best picture, best directing for Fons, acting awards for María Rojo, Héctor Bonilla and Jorge Fegán and two awards for Ortega and Robles for screenplay and original story. Fons besides received a special jury award during the 1990 San Sebastian film festival where the film was nominated for the golden seashell.

One more detail: Che Guevara picture on the oldest brothers room's wall is the classic photograph took by Korda and by that time (1968) was used as an icon for the student movement. Because of that picture, military people had an excuse to start looking for "subversive propaganda" and finally discover the hidden students and killed the whole family. A must see movie and obligated for Mexican citizens.

Federico Fellini used to say that film makers, besides to entertain, have the ability (and responsibility) to create social awareness about problems that affects a specific country, region or community. I saw an interview with Joshua Martson (Director) and one of the things he mentioned was his intention to show to the world a concrete problem that is affecting thousands of Colombian citizens and try to avoid young girls to be involved in the cruel world of drug dealers. The movie has a well structured plot (screenplay was written by Martson as well) and tell us the history of María (probably a generic name for all women involved in the issue), a beautiful but modest country girl. She works in a factory that commercializes another typical Colombian product: flowers. She has a decent work (she helps her mother and sister to support home economy) and a boyfriend in an age when sexuality is a new game for both. The result is an unexpected pregnancy and all problems related. She decides to go to Bogotá and in the mid time knows a boy that convince her to take a job as "mule" carrying in her stomach small pills full of heroine. She will receive in return an amount of money to solve all her personal and family economic problems. The thing is to transport the drug from Colombia to New York through the drug and migration inspectors that are aware of the dealer's techniques. Now is not difficult to anticipate the upcoming events. In my opinion the best thing about the movie is to show us the circumstances around this problem: poverty conditions in a corrupt environment, easy money offered by the drug dealers and the hope for a better life once you can stay in the USA. I liked how the movie ends but didn't like the acting performances. Specially Catalina Sandino Moreno was inexpressive in most of the sequences. She was not capable to transmit the deep emotions involving her character. I know that this was her first professional acting ever, but her performance was not convincing (at least not for me). I think she could have a good future but needs a better acting guide. At the end, when the other "mule" and friend of María was found death, because some of the pills blown up in her stomach, we could see a truth situation for immigrant people: no matter how bad could be the situation, solidarity always showed up. María felt in part responsible and helps her friend's family to give her a correct and Christian sepulture. I think this movie is an example of how Latin American film makers could entertain with a perfect sense of social solidarity with their home towns. If you want to see a movie with an acceptable argument, interesting and with good (but strong) ending, you will enjoy this film, besides this picture is a scream to the world pointing out a problem that is affecting a lot of innocent people in countries where poverty, corruption and injustice are consuming more and more of their citizens and their lives. Tag line is accurate: These pellets contain heroin. Each weighs 10 grams. Each is 4.2 cm long and 1.4 cm wide. And they're on their way to New York in the stomach of a 17-year-old girl. BASED IN 1000 TRUE HISTORIES.

A must see movie. The thing is that you have to see first "The decline of the American empire" to better understand the characters, situations and even ideology involved in the movie. This sequel is much better than the first one ("The decline…." Is a very good movie too) and developed the history almost 20 years later with the same actors. The idea to see how the evolution of the characters was is delightful. We can see an old professor Remy Girard affected with a mortal disease saying goodbye to life. He is angry with everyone until he receives the visit of his only soon that has become in a successful business man. The old communism ideas and the new capitalist reality collide in both characters as a preface for the rest of the history. The son has never been in agreement with his hard headed father, but he wanted to bring him some last days surrounded by his friends. So he bribed everyone at the hospital (union people included) to reserve a private room with enough intimacy to develop most of the history. Old friends were together again to start talking and thinking about old situations, old thoughts and life in general. Arcand created a very intelligent script and took the same actors of the decline. Conversations and relations with the different characters are magnificent. Perhaps the only flaw is the lack of involvement of Denny's wife in the history. Another consideration is the use of narcotics for "medical" purposes. In this film, the justification appears like a naturally solution. The good thing is that nobody justifies, accepts or condemns the use of heroin by the professor. The situation is just accepted with no further ethical, moral or even medical considerations. Even the religious nurse is involved in the issue with no consequences. Good for the director!

Death is the final, logical and unique solution of the film. Is irreversible. Is the only predictable element on the history, but even that element is well managed by Arcand. A simple farewell from each friend, from the wife, from the son, even from the daughter that is far far away from the real action. Another excellent point: euthanasia, as well as the drug situation. There is not reason to justify it. There are no moral, religious (even the nurse we mentioned before is aware) or ethical implications. No conversations about it. Everyone just naturally accept the resolution as a must condition. This is the preface of the most emotive scene of the movie. A good group of actors, excellent photograph and a solid screen play. I recommend seeing the original version in French. Arcand is a prefect example of a brave director that does not need special effects, extreme make up or big stars to create a good movie. From the beginning to the end "the barbarian invasions" is a gift to the viewer. There are no ups and downs, emotions are present all time and characters are involved in deeply human passions. Just to remind us that life and it consequences are result of that: human passions. Hope like everyone enjoys the movie as much as I did. By the way: why the title? Why the Barbarian Invasions in a history of love and drama? Well, if you put attention in the little details you will find it. Even "The decline of the American empire" has the same trick. Both titles are justified and its justification is another excuse to finally discover or solve the issue about it. At the end, as a natural consequence, we will know.