World Cinema – A Global Feature Called Human Emotions

World Cinema – A Global Feature Called Human Emotions

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good foreign films

good foreign filmsOne look at the any two films from different parts of the world and you would invariably think them to be chalk and cheese. But, even though the landscape might be different, there are times you cannot ignore the fact the deep below the different language, different people and different culture, the two good foreign films end up speaking the same emotional language. These recent world cinema films might not have created major ripples (some, unfortunately have gone unnoticed), but they have in them to create profound impact that can be felt at the any corner of the globe.


Chronicles of My Mother (Japan)

Here’s a saga of a middle-aged-turning-old writer who holds a lifelong grudge against his mother for having deserted him when he was young, only to realize later in life that it wasn’t for lack of, but because of a deep love towards him that she leaves him behind. It talks about the old Japanese sayings of bringing credit and debit balance to zero, a resonance that we also find in old Indian philosophies.

Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, Son of Adam)

Adaminte-Makan-AbuFrom our own backyard come this wonderful Malayalam film about an old Muslim couple in a village in Kerala and their travails to go on Hajj against insurmountable odds: insufficient funds and a deserter son. But, they still try their best, collecting their meager savings, selling their cows and even selling the big jackfruit tree in their courtyard to a wood seller, who the protagonist, Abu, realizes is paying more than its worth out of sympathy, even when the tree is hollow. Despite having come very near to achieving their lifelong desire, Abu refuses because he feels Hajj pilgrimage must be undertaken with honest money and not even with the financial help of others. Meanwhile, there’s a bigger lesson in wait for him. Abu realizes his own greed in cutting a living tree. He acknowledges the fact that howsoever lofty might be the end, the means also must be equally good. Planting of a sapling in the end serves as more than just a mere symbolism; a wakeup call to all and sundry.

My Little Princess (French)

The abstract and over-the-top elements in the movie, especially the protagonist’s oddly and overly dressed mother acted as just a layer beneath which lies some elements that speaks volumes about many aspects of life in particular and society in general. The film goes also goes deeper than just the mother and daughter love-hate relationships that the film deals with. There’s a deep look at the chasm that exists in two societies that invariably is formed within a society; between the seemingly mundane and extraordinary; between the moralistic middle-class and the care-a-damn achievers; between high proclaiming and low profile. Which among the two is hollow? And, is there anything as sacred and profane?

Las Acacias (Argentina)

Las acacias_2011A simple tale of a truck driver going to Argentina aiding a young mother with a small baby cross the border. A minimalistic movie with no cinematic pretence, the movie had simple elements that drew surprising parallels with India. Not only the subtle emotional current of a lonely man developing a soft corner for the woman he helps strikes a chord, but the custom of truck drivers to stop by small temple like structures by the highway to make an offering very similar to what is done by most truck drivers in India. Do people at some other corner of the globe think and act like we do, one wonders.

Out of Bounds (Danish)

When the protagonist takes her boyfriend to a deserted ice-covered island to meet her father who lives reclusive life painting, many skeletons tumble out of the closet and many stark questions stare her at her face. But, like in most situations of life, there’s no getting away from the reality. Running away is hardly a solution and however bitter the fact might be, it is better faced than shoved inside a closet.

Cairo Exit (Egypt)

As Indian as it gets with both form and content. Like in life where the exits are not always clear and simple, similar predicaments stare at the protagonist. While she struggles to get to terms with her life, her friend gets the simple (not, easy mind you) way out. While her friend gets a simple surgery done so her loss of virginity is not found out by her rich, older groom, the protagonist continues to fight the demons; some interior, some exterior: a good-for-nothing step father, a lonely mother she doesn’t want to leave and a sister who takes to prostitution to get her son out of the rot they are in. Eventually, when she decides to go with the flow, the exits become clearer, though with their fair share of turbulence.

The Mountain (Norway)

Doesn’t it happen every day with us; running away from our own demons instead of confronting them? This is a story of two women who come to the stark snow-filled mountain to confront a trauma in their life, a small incident that has power to torment their lives. The film explores a simple yet profound philosophy; that the ghosts cannot be waylaid till you see them in their eyes.

Even the Rain (Spain)

Even-The-Rain-Movie-PosterAmazingly brilliant film that runs on two levels. A team of film makers come to Bolivia to shoot a film on Christopher Columbus’ entry into America. As they get caught in the present day vortex of local politics they not only face the stark reality that stares them in their faces, but also draws an amazing parallel with what the Spaniards did when they came to South America. Despite sounding politically incorrect, one cannot help but accept that the situation of a distant populace in a distant land has strange similarities with the situation of tribal people in India.

As you watch some of these world cinema films, the commonality as pointed out above strikes you hard. And, as you think you accept that beneath the skin colour, deeper down the race, caste and creed, there exists something that not just transcends the human made borders, but penetrates deep within the deepest confines of the human heart. Perhaps that’s what makes art transcend boundaries with relative ease, which even the best of diplomacy cannot. This is the quality of Good foreign films which we share.

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NGI November 2013