"Turtles Can Fly"

Bahman Ghobadi's film "Turtles Can Fly", is an Iranian film that takes place in Iraq, very close to the Turkish border.  The story starts off with giving away the end of the movie, but without giving away any details, which leaves the viewers on the edge of their seats with suspense while they try and find out why the movie ends in such a dramatic way.  The movie then moves back in time to tell the story of a boy Soran,  better known as Satellite, who knows English and who goes from village to village setting up satellite television so that the villagers can hear news of the upcoming war against the United States.  Soran's knowledge is so great and rare in this area of Iraq that even though he is just a teenager, he runs the village and orders the children around to do his will.  The movie tells the story of how the children of a particular village prepare for war by undigging mines left by the United States in the Gulf War to trade them in for guns.

Ghobadi does a very good job throughout the movie to make us feel as if we are in the same situation as these kids, many of which have lost their arms and legs to mine explosions.  All the young stars in this movie play their roles very well, showing us the hard lifestyle they live through the images, while at the same time enjoying the simple pleasures of life.  Ghobadi also gives us Americans a new aspect on the war which we are fighting.  Rather than to constantly show the Americans as saviors who saved the Iraqi's from Saddam, it shows a little of how the Iraqi's felt when they were being invaded.  

Overall "Turtles can Fly" is an amazing movie, full of suspense and even comedy at times.  As long as you can get past the fact that you have to read the subtitles, I cannot see anyone not enjoying this movie, and although Iraqi's might understand this movie in a completely different way since this might correspond with some of their own experiences, it applies to the American audience as well because we are part of this war.  I would recommend this movie to anyone to go see!

Cristi Puiu's "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" is a Romanian film that takes place at various hospitals around the country's capital of Bucharest.  The film opens with Dante Remus Lazarescu, a 63 year old drunkard, sick and inebriated calling an ambulance.  After realizing that the ambulance may not be arriving too soon, he asks the neighbors for help.  Once they realize how sick he actually is, the ambulance finally shows up and takes him to the hospital.  Lazarescu and the ambulance nurse travel from hospital to hospital to find that he is either not important enough to acquire adequate care, or that the nurses and doctors were too tired or bored to help the poor old alcoholic.  As the night goes on we receive a whole laundry list of things possibly wrong with Mr. Lazarescu, from colon cancer to cirrhosis to a brain hematoma.  Through the ambulance's nocturnal journey through Bucharest, Lazarescu urinates and deficates on himself as his condition worsens with each hospital visit,  After being rejected from three hospitals, the fourth one agrees to operate on his brain hematoma.  Throughout the course of the film we are able to note common trends in recent Romanian cinema, such as long takes and fixed camera angles, bland lighting, drab decor and plain, realistic dialogue.  Puiu uses the dark lighting and regular sets to portray post-communist Bucharest in its most natural state.  The film is fairly lengthy as a direct effect of the realistic nature of the film.  Romanian cinema is known for using takes and dialogue that seem to drag on to bring the viewer into the life of the film.  As we follow Mr. Lazarescu through this journey, Puiu uses these long takes for us to get to know "Uncle" Lazarescu and we begin to feel for him as he keeps getting denied moving from hospital to hospital.  The long dialogue seems to drag on at first, but as the film progresses you realize that it is used to make you feel a part of the conversation.  This minimalist aspect shows how recent Romanian cinema, stripped to its fundamentals, connects with the viewer.  "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" is the poster child for Romanian cinema, and completely conveys the importance of the many aspects commonly shown in Romanian films.

Joint Security Area

Joint Security Area is a Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook. The story of this film took place on the border of the Northern and Southern Korean Territory at the Bridge of No Return. The story starts out by showing a scene of an incident between North and South Korea where two North Korean soldiers were killed by a supposed kidnapped South Korean soldier. Two investigators from Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission come to Panmumjeom to investigate the incident further between North Korea and South Korea. As Major Sophie E. Jean discovers bits and pieces of the incident, the audience of the film is being shown the scenario as well. Throughout the film, you learn exactly how and why the initial scene occurs. At the very end of the movie, Major Sophie discovers the hidden mystery to the incident. 

            Chan-wook does a great job of relying on flashbacks to uncover the truth behind the conflict. As Major Sophie discovers what happened, flashbacks give clips of information to inform the viewer of the situation. He allows the jump between past and present to be evident and easy to follow because all of the flashbacks are dimly lighted. There is barely any light in all of the scenes that involve the flashbacks. This creates a mysterious atmosphere of the scenes. The camera angles and speed of the scenes are also used to help to intensify emotions, such as when Nam attempts suicide by jumping out of the window. The mystery is what keeps the viewer on their seat and anticipating the next move. Just as the flashbacks are dark, the present scenes are shot in bright lights, as Sophie is becoming "enlightened" on the events that took place. This film is also packed with action and fighting scenes that keep the audience thoroughly entertained. 

            The important theme in this film is that of friendship and comradery. An unlikely friendship sprang up when two Northern soldiers saved the life of a Southern soldier. The relationship between these unlikely friends evolved into a potential to bring peace to the two opposing forces. Throughout the film, you see the struggles that these relationships go through and endure. In the end it is evident that friendship is strong, but sometimes it just isn't strong enough. Overall, this film is very entertaining and I would encourage anyone to see it!

 

 

"Nine Queens" Review

“Nine Queens” is a fantastic action movie that keeps the audience on their seat for the entire movie, no matter what language they speak or where they are from. The movie starts by showing the main character, Juan, robbing a gas station clerk, and then being saved by the expert, Marcos. The two speak afterwards and Marcos convinces Juan that he could learn a thing or two from him. They then begin to work together and come up with creative ways to obtain small amounts of money, until the deal that Juan has been looking for all along happens to fall into their lap.
Although the movie is in Spanish, just by following the subtitles, the movie is still very thrilling. The plot contains many twists and turns that surprises the audience and wants them to continue watching. The two main characters act very well as actors and as thieves, and both contribute greatly to the film. While the theft and corruption may be seen mostly because of the state that Argentina is in at the time, the morals expressed throughout the movie are those that can be seen internationally. The importance of family seems to be very important in the different jobs, and for the most part, it leads to a character’s downfall. By seeing how trusting Argentinean people are with their family shows that although there is such a great amount of corruption, family comes first. Even Marcos’s sister participates in the job only to repair family ties.
Overall, “Nine Queens” is a great film that reveals two major themes, the importance of family in Argentina and the corruption there. The plot intertwines the two and creates a fantastic thriller. The film applies mostly to Argentina, but can be definitely understood by all audiences.

Introduction

Welcome to Aaaaand...Action! This is a blog that is run by five college students who are entering into the magical world of international cinema. We are just beginning our submergence into this vast sea of the unknown...particularly foreign films we will be watching throughout the year. You will get to follow our documented pursuit of knowledge through these blogs. Each blog will present to you our analysis of each film we see. We hope you enjoy our adventure, and learn as much as we do!