The film, Bodyguard, directed by Siddique in 2011, was a very silly, and at times, stressful film to watch. This film was hard to watch in the beginning because it was kind of boring, however, it got a lot more exciting and interesting to watch as it went on. The story is about a young woman in India, named Divya, who is assigned a bodyguard by her father to protect her from men who were trying to get revenge on her father. Divya's father hires Lovely Singh, the bodyguard. Divya does not want a bodyguard, so she plots to make Lovely fall in love with someone to distract him from guarding her. Divya does this by calling Lovely on the phone, pretending she is a girl in love with Lovely. Little does Divya know that she falls in love with Lovely herself. Even after Lovely falls in love with this imaginary girl (named Chayya), however, Divya is too embarrassed by her actions to admit it to Lovely. So the two go on, in love, but not knowing it/not showing it. After Lovely saves Divya several times, he leaves on a train to go find this "Chayya" he believes he is in love with. Divya is now sending her best friend, Maya, to take over "Chayya's" place because Divya can not let her dad know that she is the girl (her dad's guards are spying on them). Maya, we find out, is a bad friend, for she does not go with the plan and tells Lovely that she is "Chayya." Maya and Lovely live on and have a child together (Lovely has no idea what Maya has done, for he believes she is "Chayya"). Divya, of course, is crushed. Maya commits suicide because she does not want Lovely to be mad at her forever. However, with her father's blessing, Divya becomes the child's new mother and Lovely's wife.
Reviews
19 Reviews
Wadjda
(2012)
Wadjda
4 May 2017
The film, Wadjda, directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour, was one of the best films I have ever seen. It was truly inspirational for all girls especially, and I loved it! The actress, Waad Mohammed, did an amazing job playing her role. She was such a strong and independent girl, who despite all the name calling for being a girl, never let the boys pull her down. I loved this about her, and she inspired me to never give up and let the boys beat me down.
Turtles Can Fly
(2004)
Turtles Can Fly
20 April 2017
Turtles Can Fly, a film directed by Bahman Ghobadi, was a very eye-opening film in that the audience could really feel true feelings from the characters. Taking place in a Kurdish refugee camp in Iraq, these many children live their ordinary lives while also preparing for the invasion of their country from the United States. I found this film to be very informative, but also very entertaining, despite all the dark elements within it.
Omar
(2013)
Omar
9 April 2017
The film, Omar, was a very powerful film that presented so many struggles between the Palestinian people and the Israelites. This film was very helpful in helping me understand the conflicts and why they are a current and withstanding problem daily. Although this topic is very hard for me to understand, this film really helped highlight the key issues and effects as to why there is conflict in this area of the world even today. This film showed a different side than normal of the conflict, which I thought was very interesting and pretty cool. I personally liked this film a lot because of the romantic/dramatic element to it. I would have to say that is the main reason why I enjoyed watching this film. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in the conflicts between Israel and Palestine, anyone who wants to learn more, or anyone who enjoys watching romantic drama films.
Paradise Now
(2005)
Paradise Now
30 March 2017
For the most part, this film was interesting to watch. I love the fast paced rhythm of the film. All the action in the film kept me on the edge of my seat, and I could not wait to see what happened next. Although the fighting and battle is not something I particularly like in movies and stories, the plot and symbolism of the film made this essence of the film okay for me to watch. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in war films or the West Bank or the Middle East. I would particularly recommend this to any history classes, for it shares so much information and insight into the lives of the people of the West Bank. I find these types of films very interesting, as well as very important ones to watch to understand a different culture.
Journey to the West
2 March 2017
The very unique film, Journey to the West, directed and filmed by Stephen Chow, was one of the weirdest and most quirky films I have ever seen. This film had a ton of cultural references that may have been difficult for some of us viewers to understand because the Chinese culture and traditions are so much different than ours here in the United States. This very much included the different forms of comedy presented in the film. Although wacky, I somehow liked the film for all the action and adrenaline it contained. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Chinese culture, or mythological beings and magic.
Dearest
(2014)
Dearest
16 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The film, Dearest, filmed and directed by Peter Chan, was a very difficult film to watch. Kidnapping is something that scares me so much, and so seeing these events and elements in the film made me very sad and scared. It was very interesting to see how the "adoptive" parents were almost forced to react to the situation. The "adoptive" mother grew so close to Pengpeng because she probably lost someone close to her before. I found this very sad because she was unaware of the fact that he was actually abducted by the woman's husband. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a little mystery or feels a thrill in family tragedies.
Departures
(2008)
Departures
12 February 2017
The film, "Departures," filmed and directed by Yojiro Takita, was a very well put together film, in my opinion. One of the main themes was somewhat creepy. This theme was funeral services in Japan. However, the film also focused on other things like family and the circle of life, which were both heartwarming to watch. Although the services were exotic and different as to how we celebrate and grieve for the dead in the United States, it was very interesting and gave the viewers a very cool global perspective. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys learning about different cultures, especially cultures in Asia, including Japanese culture. This movie also had some comical parts, so the film was not just depressing and interesting, but also funny at some points.
The Man from Nowhere
(2010)
The Man from Nowhere
26 January 2017
"The Man from Nowhere," a gruesome film written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom, was very hard to watch at some parts. However, at other times, this film made me feel somewhat emotional and very attached to the characters. Personally, I did not appreciate the amount of fighting and violence within the film, including lots of visual injuries and strikes. However, I did appreciate some of the beautiful relationships between certain characters in the film. For example, the relationship between the young girl, Kim Chi-gon and her very kind next-door neighbor who decided to save her life, Cha Tae-sik. I would recommend this film to anyone who is not afraid of a little gore and violence and is interested in a thriller with a heart-warming background plot.
Whale Rider
(2002)
Whale Rider
20 January 2017
Whale Rider, filmed and directed by Niki Caro, was honestly one of my favorite movies I have ever seen, even outside of Global Perspectives class. I fell in love with the main character, Pai's personality. Pai was a young girl who had an ambitious spirit and confidence that no one could change or take from her. I loved this about her, and her character really inspired me. Filmed and taking place in New Zealand, the story follows Pai and her family through rough times and spiritual experiences. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone, especially those interested in Maori culture and/or whales. This movie was one of my favorite ever, and I learned a lot about Maori culture.
Ninah's Dowry
(2012)
Ninah's Dowry
11 December 2016
The African film, Ninah's Dowry, filmed by Victor Viyuoh, was a very hard film to watch. Filmed in the country of Cameroon, this film was filled with domestic abuse and neglect. I was shocked at the way Ninah's husband treated her. Ninah is just a teenage girl, living in Cameroon, with three of her children and her abusive husband. She tries to run away from him multiple times, leaving her three children behind, yet her husband searches and hunts after her as she hides in various places. Ninah has a dream of owning a restaurant, but it is crushed many times by her abusive husband when Ninah tries to run away to follow her dream. It was truly hard for me to watch because of the way he treated his wife. The whole situation made me mad, and now I've learned that there are a lot of women suffering around the world in abusive relationships that need help. Hopefully, our generation can make a difference in the near future.
Timbuktu
(2014)
Timbuktu
1 December 2016
Timbuktu was a really interesting, and at some times, confusing, film. A cattle herder, named Kidane, lives in Mali with his wife and daughter in peace. This is until the Jihadists step in and try to change their faith with disturbing and unnecessary laws. I love the way the film was filmed with all different angle shots and the meaning behind each of them. For instance, before the Jihadists came into play and destroyed the peace, I could almost hear the sand blowing in the wind -- it was so calm and peaceful that I really picked up on a sense of peace in that part of the film. Some of these Jihadist laws included the banishment of soccer and the force of women to have to wear gloves, even when working. These laws, in my opinion, did not affect the democracy of Mali, but more so just gave power to the Jihadists and made them feel superior. Overall, superiority is one of the highest and most esteemed prizes in most people's eyes, so these laws provide everything for the Jihadists.
Simshar
(2014)
Simshar
3 November 2016
The 2014 film called, "Simshar," inspired by true events, and directed by Rebecca Cremona, is a slow paced, yet somehow exhilarating film concerning the tragedies of Simshar -- the boat and the people on board. This film, although somewhat slow and tedious, kept me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. There were many obstacles the main characters faced that caused me to be frustrated for them because they were in such tough situations on the water. Many global perspectives can be inferred and taken from the film in different ways. For instance, when the main characters (including the father, his son, and the father's friend) were hanging on for their lives on one raft in the ocean, they were seeking for help, obviously. However, when the father's friend was waving his hands for help when a big ship went by, the ship decided to keep moving along because of the color of the father's friend's skin. This was interesting and somewhat shocking to me -- to see the line drawn out between immigrants and other people within a country. This intrigued me, and it set a new global perspective out for me.
A Screaming Man
(2010)
A Screaming Man
27 October 2016
"A Screaming Man," directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun, was a very slow-paced, but somewhat moving film. The silences and actions of the characters led the viewers to conceive a message worth a million words. I thought this was a very interesting way to film, and it led me and my classmates to interpret our own messages out of the film's dialogue through the actors' eye contact. "A Screaming Man," is a puzzling film that will lead you to rethink how people around the world interact with one another -- it definitely persuaded me to find a different global perspective. This film persuades the viewers to further think about the future and well-being of our world as it is today.
Kinyarwanda
(2011)
Kinyarwanda
20 October 2016
The film, "Kinyarwanda," filmed by Alrick Brown, has a unique perspective on the Rwandan genocide, as well as the Islamic religion widely practiced in Rwanda. I have mixed feelings about this specific film. I liked and also disliked the flashback factor integrated in the film. It was very cool and unique, but it also made the film much harder to follow. It was a very cool touch that the director added into the making of the film. Director, Alrick Brown, is from Kingston, Jamaica, and he served in the peace corps for several years. Therefore, Brown has a multicultural perspective on many world issues, this including the Rwandan genocide. Often portrayed in a negative way, Alrick Brown shows the hidden good side of the people stuck within the Rwandan genocide. This is often something we miss with American films -- the different global perspectives on a subject. What we may think in America and our views could be totally twisted to what the actual impact and turnout to the event ended up being in different countries where those problems take place. Other countries' views could be totally twisted to what we think happened, so it is refreshing to receive a clean, global perspective from a person who knows more about the Rwandan culture than I do.
Ixcanul
(2015)
Ixtanul
5 October 2016
Ixtanul is a very unique film in that it causes the viewers to question. This film essentially about a young girl named Maria, who prepares for her arranged wedding (set by her parents) as she overcomes unusual obstacles along the way. Although this film is slow and not very action-packed, it taught me a lot about Mayan culture and tradition in Guatemala. This film was unlike any film I have ever seen because of its mystery and lack of sound. There was almost no music in this film, which I thought was really interesting because it added uniqueness to the film. Also, the camera angles and shots were very different than most other films. Overall, this film taught me more about Guatemalan society than I have ever known.
Brother
(2010)
Hermano
15 September 2016
"Hermano" was probably the hardest film for me to watch so far. The violence, the hate, the competition, and the revenge was insane and crazy to watch. This film was very hard to watch, but at the same time, I do not think I would be able to stop watching it because the film creators keep it so interesting! Many scenes in the film shocked me. Often, these scenes stressed me out to the point where I had a headache, but that was what made the film so interesting. What made them even more shocking than just the plot of the scene, was the camera angles of the scene. It was filmed in such a way, that it felt like forever to get to the "big reveal," or the shocking part. Overall, this was a very well put together film, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense and surprise.
Una noche
(2012)
Una Noche
11 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Una Noche was probably one of the most entertaining movies I have ever seen because of its intensity. Every scene filled me with fright, surprise, and of course, questions. I think my favorite scene of the movie was the shark attack scene because it scared me (even though I almost saw it coming). The result was unexpected. I did not think Elio would go missing, and I most definitely did not think that Raul and Lila would end up right back in Cuba. Even though this feeling of uncertainty is uncomfortable, it definitely makes the film even better. I would definitely recommend watching this film if you are interested in surprise, mystery, and fast-paced action.
Even the Rain
(2010)
Even the Rain
1 September 2016
This was a very complicated film to watch because there were many things occurring at the same time. It was very puzzling, and there were many ideas needed to be put together in order to understand the story. Although the film was complicated, it was also very fast-paced and exciting. There were many parts in the movie that really captivated me into the story -- I almost felt like I was there. For instance, when Costa was asked by Belen's mother to accompany her while finding Belen to save her, Costa debated on whether to go or not. This scene made my classmates and me to become very nervous. Finally Costa decided to go, and I was a little relieved. It is truly amazing how good movies can make the viewers feel like they're really there. It is a depressing view to see how these Bolivian people were risking their lives just to provide their children with clean water. Clean water is something most of us in the U.S. take for granted, but for them, it is everything. Money was bribed, people rioted, and people risked a lot in attempt to get clean water. This aspect of the film empowered me to think more about this topic and hopefully get involved in the future.
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