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Reviews
Hable con ella (2002)
a different way of LOVE
This was an interesting movie for me, I could not figure out whether it was good or bad but I can say that I was not bored while watching it. When I think about the visual things about the movie I must say that there was nothing special about that, I mean the shootings or the colors etc. However, there were several scenes which were successful in squeezing my throat with the help of the very well attached music. The music in this movie is great, it gave me really emotional times. And for the last thig, there was the plot and the acting. The plot and the execution of it was good, Pedro Almadovar is a really unique director I should say. In the movie there were only three characters to notice and to think about. The first one is Beningno, a young, clever girl in her late twenties. Second, there is Marco, an experienced, sensitive, emotional lady in her late thirties. And for the last, there is Lydia, a tough, emotional, charismatic man, who makes his fortune and reputation by being a torrero(bullfighter.) In fact by looking at the names and reading the other responses you might think that I am lying since Beningno and Marco are male names and Lydia is a female name. Actually, you are right by your ideas about the names but I am not lying too. In the movie, Beningno and Marco are male but they obviously show a female profile and Lydia draws a male picture, at least I think that way. Almadovar is so brilliant and successful in switching and resetting the genders in the movie that at some point you get really mixed up and surrender your mind and soul to the screen which is already pouring love down. For the first time in my life I have seen such characters and lifestyles so I could not judge what is right or wrong during the movie. Eventually, at the end of the movie you find yourself witnessing a very different kind of love and sacrifice and asking yourself what is right or wrong, moral or not when it is about love and all. I think I liked this movie, and I think I should watch the other movies of Pedro. By the way, I should say that Pedro is a gay, so the mixing up of genders in this movie can be explained a little bit by that maybe.
Umi wa miteita (2002)
Boring movie about Japanese Geishas
I did not like the movie `The Sea is Watching' very much because it was a rather slow movie. Its slowness is bad because I could not taste some of the feelings because of that slowness. Love was one of that feelings I am talking about. The movie is about the sense of belonging, freedom, and love however, there are also cultural things prevailed in it and those cultural elements are like big woodden beams in a river that prevent it to flow properly and decrease the speed of the stream. For instance, the non-talking communication between people prolonge the speeches and it makes all the thing slower.
As aforementioned the film was not an outstanding movie about the common human emotions and desires like love, freedom or belonging. I rather consider this movie as a more documentary type movie about Japanese geishas. I can say that I have learned nearly everything about geishas because 95% of the movie was shot in a geisha village and geisha house and the movie is full of speeches, traditions, rules and things about geisha life.
Besides that there are also a couple of samurais in the movie but little insight is given about them. The samurais in the movie are also weak characters and they are also very young, far from wisdom. Samurais were not that satisfactory for me.
In addition to these, there were also good things about this movie. First of all, most of the movie is shot in a single house in general but the interesting thing was that during the movie the characters gather in different parts of the hosuse and this gatherings are long. Therefore, while watching the movie you can (at least I can) feel like I am someone from the house and I am with them because I knew the house very well, I mean you could get into the house, it is very well shown to the audience I think.
There were also good symbolic visiuals in the movie like the sea symbolizing the freedom or the bushes between the sea and the village as the symbol for the obstacles in the way to freedom. And all the story is connected with these symbols at the end of the film. I good script but unexciting execution I can say.
Whale Rider (2002)
a very emotional, perfect movie
I think that the movie `Whale Rider' is a really great movie because it does not only introduces a whole new culture and a different way of living but also tells about the hopes, believes and loves of people in a very different way. Besides that the actors of the movie are really very successful, we know that the main character was the youngest Oscar nominee with her performance although it was the first time she was acting in a movie.
I do not consider the Maori people as the people of New Zealand, and I do not think that the movie gives us information about the New Zealand people and their life styles. The whole thing is rather develops in a different world, a world that is ancient and unchanged. While watching the movie, we see lots of different things such as the traditional greetings of people by using their noses and heads or the chants(traditional songs) that they use to express their feelings. These are very interesting for me to learn and watch, I felt like as I am 8 or 9 years old and watching a documentory about a country that I have never seen before.
It was also very interesting for me to see and experience the feelings of love, hope or commitment in a very interesting way. I mean Pai loves her grandfather very much but it is a different kind of love that I have never seen.
I want to say why is the movie is really really great. The whole thing is about people from a different culture and a different world as I said before, and they do such weird things and you think that `ok, it is a part of their culture' and you somehow accept everything. But at the end it almost makes you believe that, Pai is really a prophet and she really can communicate with the whales and she did really rode that whale and all. The movie really makes you to believe that all the things are real.
In addition, the main actor Pai, really acts great, very good for her age and experience. Maybe it is because of their culture and all the kids of Maori are like that, but when she is sad and looks at you you get sore and when she is happy it makes you feel good. I think that is called good acting.