La Stanza del Figlio

La Stanza del Figlio (Mi dispiacque molto e no mi ebbo gustato) aka The Son's Room, is a film about how family evolves after a traumatic loss. It is a quintessential human drama. The film's plot stretches no further than the complexities of human drama and emotion, however no true cultural interaction exists, as the film only demonstrates, the emotional incompetence of Italian males and their lack of hesitance towards crying on a consistent basis. The emotion is like what would be found in Gaetano Donzinetti's famous romanza Una Furtiva Lagrima.

Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt), is a 1998 German film that follows a German woman, Lola, and her attempt to save her boyfriend Manni, by gathering 100,ooo Deutsche Marks, which he had lost on a subway, on his way to deliver them to his boss. Manni is a whitecollar criminal for the most part and he represents the general characterization of German organized crime.

Lola is a great example of innovative German cinematography, and it demonstrates the true creativity of the modern German society. The film has three seperate chains of events that pertain to the same plot rather than one single span of events. This use of flashbacks and jumps into the futre, show not only the different sides and personalities of the characters, but also have the deeper meaning of showing the viewer that there is always more than one way to view the same events, and that no story is limited to the same beginning and end. This is symbolic of the German evolution of the nation throughout the 20th century, as the metaphor shows how Lola, evolves as a character as each new chain of events is manifested, in the same way Germany has evolved into a thriving and prosperous nation.

The connections I can make with the film are minimal, because I've never been involved in German organized crime, but have experienced some of the deja vu and multilayered events that characterize the film. The story overall reveals the complexity of life and enforces the idea that in truth there are no true answers and that nothing is definite.

Persepolis

Persepolis is 2007 animated film, from France, directed by Marjane Satarapi. The movie deals with the evolving history of Iran in th 1970's, 80's, and early 90's. The focus is the character Marjane, an Iranian girl, who watches her grandfather and uncle, punished and executed by Iranian revolutionaries.
Her uncle in particular influences her and instills a socialist ideology in her which she promotes, for the majority of her life. Her grandmother also empowers he as a woman, by passing down her feminist attitude to young Marjane, which is contrary to the beliefs of society and the laws created in Iran at the time.
The film maintains, a western, predominantly French view on the political evolution of Iranian law. The filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, presents, the pros and cons of how socialism and Shariya (Islamic law) have been implemented in Iran throughout history, in a manner that suggests that neither is the right method of government for Iran. The French liberal political ideology that has manifested itself throughout the 21st century, is a sharp contrast to the disorder and conservatism of Iranian politics.
I can't really relate very much to the film, because I know nearly nothing about French or Iranian politics. I also live in a country which has a relatively stable political system and I can only relate to the family's closeness in the film. I have the same cooperative relationship with my family.

Maria Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace (María llena eres de gracia) is a 2004 Colombian Film. The protagonist Maria is a 17 year old woman, living in Colombia, a nation corrupted by the International drug trade. Maria is prompted to become a mule after she receives the offer and is able to escape her job at a flower plantation.

The story told by the film is the story of the Colombian nation as a whole, which to this day, even with a democratic government, is controlled by drug lords. This has been the case ever since the infamous Pablo Escobar, created the world's largest cocaine operation in the 70's, the Medellin Cartel, which is responsible for more than half of the cocaine that is imported annually in the US. Escobar may have been a criminal, but ironically he was also a philanthropist, giving money to not only, the poor Colombian peasants, but to various charities as well until his assassination in 1993. At one point Escobar was the 6th richest man on the planet according to Forbes. His influence, and his buisness, however live on, with the Medellin cartel still operating today as one of the world's major suppliers of illicit drugs. The traffickers often commit acts of terrorism to deter government intervention.

The influence of the trade continues to affect the peasantry of Colombia. Many like Maria, are commissioned by the cartels to carry drugs to the north, and are often willing to do so to provide for their families. This, however is a risky undertaking, as failure can mean, death or imprisonment for they and their families.

Shall We Dance

Shall We ダンス? (Shall We Dance), is a 1996 Japanese film about dancing. The movie is about a Japanese Salary Man who develops a passion for ballroom dancing. The movie gives insights into the serious attitude towards life, taken by the Japanese working man. It challenges the idea of conformism through Shohei Sugiyama's activities throughout the film.

Shohei Sugiyama becomes increasingly bored and frustrated with his life and he releases all this negative energy, through his newfound passion for dancing. He becomes consumed by the dance and he practices on a continuous basis, even at the subway station and while sitting at his desk. The culture of Japan is well illustrated in Sugiyama's cordial and humble mannerisms.

My connection to the film is minimal, it is a counter example of how I live my life. I tend to not take things too seriously. I have a positive attitude towards life in order to create more positive results. Also if there is something that I enjoy I do not worry about what others think, I simply choose to live openly, rather than hide a secret hobby like Shonei Sugiyama

Please Vote For Me

Please Vote For Me is a 2007 documentary film by Wejiu Chen. It takes place in a Chinese elementary school. The plot centers around elections for class monitor. The irony is that free elections are not familiar to these 3rd graders and they become consumed by the elections. It also shows how politics can turn two friends into bitter enemies such as Cheng Cheng and Luo Lei as they do in reality, however there are few elections in China so this is usually no concern.

One major insight into Chinese culture that I noticed, was brilliantly represented at the beginning of the film where the teacher tells the children that they will be "voting" for class monitors and the children have absolutely no idea what "voting" is. This demonstrates the immense incorporation of Maoism into the Chinese school system, much akin to the socialism taught in Cuban school system. The school system continues to stress the importance of Communism in every day Chinese life.


The style of life is completely different in China than it is in Minnesota and the US, we are not taught to believe in the the triumphs of capitalism or socialism. Elections are an essential part of how we operate. The emphasis on the superiority of one's nation is more pronounced in China, and while I can relate to national pride, I am not forced to exercise it like the chinese

BETRAYAL

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is a 2008 documentary about a Laotian family who emigrates and moves to Brooklyn. The protagonist is Thavisouk, also known as Thavi. The plot follows 20 years of Thavi's life and the life of his family. Their trials and tribulations are clearly illustrated in the film.

Thavi and his family struggle to fit in to American culture and his family struggle to get comfortable with their new surroundings. They can't seem to decide whether it would have been better to have stayed in Laos, which is in near ruins because of the reckless dropping of American bombs. The story thickens when Thavi's father comes to visit them in Brooklyn, and at first it looks like they will have a father figure, but they soon find out he is leaving them for a new family. This causes Thavisouk to selflessly assume the patriarchal position in the family.

The film reveals how important the father is in Laotian culture, because in the case of Thavisouk's mother, who should be angry at her ex husband for moving on to a new family, she instead eats her words. She wants to protect the children by allowing them to know who their father is. This is contrary to the probable outcome of a similar situation, with American perpetrators. In that situation the mother would most likely shield her children from such treachery and would limit their contact with the father. My personal connection is that this is a counterexample of how my family operates, I have two happy and successful parents that compliment each other and so this helps me appreciate that a little more than I have in the past.