clotblaster Review of Beautiful People

Beautiful People (I) (1999)

Unbelievably beautiful and moving film; it touches the soul.

[10/10 · 13 January 2006]

I am going to limit my comments basically to all those people who rated this movie below a nine or ten. For most people this is a movie that must be watched twice, but if you don't feel your heart pounding at the end of the film and tears in your eye, no matter how many times you watch, YOU, viewer needs to take stock of your own heart, imagination, empathy for different people (true diversity) and your ability to respond appropriately to truly great films. I tire of people who tell me about books and plays and movies:"It's just your opinion." Well, sometimes that is true. But if your soul and imagination has not been properly educated by reading good books (especially poetry), seeing good plays (especially Shakespeare, and seeing quality movies and distinguishing them from the meretricious and the bogus. This is not a time where it is just my opinion. This is a movie that celebrates life in the most difficult of situations and blends together various characters' lives into a seamless whole--a kind of good Magnolia, to which it has been fatuously compared. The story is set in diverse modern day London--all classes, different ethnic groups etc. The writer/director Jazmin Didmar is a magician weaving a tapestry of humanity that screams at the viewer: "LIfe is tough, but there is still a place for love and beauty, even in the direst circumstances." I am so fed up with American movie goers who can't tell diamond from glass. This is a wonderful movie which deserves a 10+ rating. I quote from one of the characters, who is having troubles in his personal life and in his profession. But he comes through at the end of the movie happy and smiling with an ending comment: "If life works just a little bit in your favor, it can be beautiful." SEE THIS MOVIE. (p.s. Americans can be forgiven their lack of discernment in films, because they grow up on wretched American t.v. By the way I am a natural born surfer boy from SoCAl--actually Orange County).