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Reviews
Kirikou et la sorcière (1998)
A Not So Evil Hero
These days the heroes that we have are flawed heroes like Dexter who is a serial killer that murders criminals. Now there's someone that you want your children to look up to. Kirikou on the other hand is everything that someone should inspire to be, and is a hero in the traditional sense and since he's one of the only truly African heroes left it is important to take that into consideration. He's innocent, curious and he believes in himself. This is the type of person you really want your children to look up to not Spiderman, Batman, or other vigilantes.
First, even the colors used in the animation to portray Kirikou and his environment are bright and colorful, while characters like Batman are all in black and surrounded by darkness. They are very lonely characters and have to hide who they are in order to save the world. Kirikou is able to be himself in order to save the world and has nothing on his person most of the time save a dagger or a knife.
Second, Kirikou also kills no one except for a beast in the movie that is drinking all of the water from the stream inside of the mountain. This is the only time he really resorts to violence. Kirikou would rather run away or out smart his enemies rather than kill which shows how noble he is. This compared to Batman or Spiderman who always punch or tie up their enemies to get them arrested by the police. Which would you rather your child resort to when he or she is in trouble? Finally, Kirikou physically doesn't fit the typical hero. He is not tall or muscular and is even made fun of for being tiny. This instead shows children its not about how you look, but rather about who you are on the inside that makes you a hero. The ability to beat up bad guys, as is shown in most comic books, does not make you a hero and can in this case make you a bad guy. They even portray magic in a negative light until the very end when Karaba turns Kirikou big. Thus giving the message that you don't have to have superpowers or be big and strong to defeat evil.
Kirikou does remain nude throughout most of the movie and there are breasts shown, but Kirikou is probably one of the best role models for kids that I've seen in a long while. This movie is for people that want a different kind of hero, but not one with a dark side. Instead, one that they can share with their children without fear of them picking up violent tendencies from. I loved this movie! It's like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White but shows women of all shapes and sizes while being able to maintain a male audience.
Twist à Popenguine (1994)
Life In Africa
Have you ever wondered what it's like in Africa? I know I have, as an American that has never been to Africa, because all we hear about is the troubles and animals of Africa. That doesn't tell what it's like to live there. Ça Twiste à Popenguine gives us an idea. This film was made partially as a reaction to the writings of authors like Fanon. Writers, such as Fanon, have written about the idea of the colonization of the mind which is the idea that the whites make the blacks in Africa feel inferior in culture and are pressed to take on aspects of the white culture.
The clothes, music, and language and other elements of culture shown in the movie have aspects of French and American culture as well as the native culture. This shows that the colonization of the mind is false because they are using all of the cultures in different situations. This is an interesting way to perceive life in Africa, and firmly contradicts what we hear about Africa since it's 'apparently' uncivilized, uneducated, and unsanitary. This doesn't mean that the issues we hear about aren't a problem, but rather shows that life in Africa is different from life in America but not as different as we are led to believe. There are still parts of their lives that we can relate to. This movie gives a positive look on colonization and shows how there is give and take between cultures.
I would recommend this movie to anyone that is curious as to what living in Africa is like while looking for a reason to smile.
Entre nos (2009)
A New Way of Looking At Immigration
Entre Nos provides a completely different perspective on immigration. Being based on a true story about the director, main actress and writer's (all the same person) family, you begin to wonder where American's get their ideas about immigration form. When most Americans think about immigration these days they think of people stealing jobs and depending on their taxes for the immigrant's children to go to school. However, this movie offers an almost disturbing alternative to this cushy life American's picture. Between the abortion, the trash collecting, the father leaving the family behind and all these other horrible events, it's hard to look at immigration in that light.
In the beginning, we are introduced to a Latino family from Colombia that seems pretty happy together in New York City. They have food to spare, friends over for dinner, clean clothing and a roof over their head, but when the father leaves you know he's not going to come back, and with him, he takes away the stability that the family has been depending on. There's not any food, clothing or even a place to sleep at night soon after he leaves.
During this time there is only trash and bleak surroundings that are gross and dangerous. The lighting is harsh on the screen and brings out shadows in not only their surroundings, but their faces, and helps add to the overbearing grimness in the film. Not to mention the sad tune playing in the background, but the thing that makes this film all too real to the audience has to be the expressions on the actors/actresses faces and the way they are dressed. The tired, pained and hungry expressions that you find in all of the faces is so real this almost seems more like a documentary than an art-house film. Then there's the clothes that they're wearing are filthy and covered in dirt, and just hanging off of them. Their belongings are small and mostly hold no real significance. Other than the family photo that the son keeps in his pocket to remember the times when his father was around.
This was a great movie about survival, and I'd recommend it to anyone that wants to watch a heart-wrenching film for a good cry. I'd even recommend it to anyone that thinks that immigration is some life of luxury, in order to see an alternative point of view.
Como agua para chocolate (1992)
Food For Thought
The movie Like Water For Chocolate uses food in order to show not only how important food is in expressing emotions, but also shows the power that women hold and portrays the traditions in Mexican culture. Food is so vital to this story that without it, it simply wouldn't give the same message.
Tita uses cooking to express herself throughout the movie, such as: how the wedding cake makes everyone sick with longing and grief and how the quail with rose petal sauce made Gertrudis fill up with overwhelming passion and lust. The phrase "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" may not be too far off. After all, Pedro does say, "This is the nectar of the Gods" about the quail. Cooking can be anything you want it to be based on how you look at. These days it's considered a chore or an inconvenient need.
Because of Tita's cooking abilities she is given a pretty powerful place in the household. Being able to choose what your family eats may not sound like a very powerful position, but when you decide what people are going to eat and when and where. It gives you control over their schedules and, in a way, how they are feeling. Every one has a favorite food that they get happy about when it's made, if you cook their favorite food you are going to make them happy and, therefore, you have influence over that person. It's not the kind of tyranny that Mama Elena rules the household with, but it is still some power. Especially since this job was considered a woman's job in Mexican culture during this time period, it gave women a degree of power in a masochist society.
The influence of food in culture is actually quite staggering if you think about it. Certain foods signify certain events, holidays or traditions like birthday cake or turkey for Thanksgiving, and there are foods that are only found in a certain culture. It's interesting to look at this because food is such an important part of our lives.
Overall, the movie was good. It breaks from the Mexican film mold and has a spark about it. People that like sad movies about a group of women would like this movie, or people that liked the movie Pan's Labyrinth.