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kyle-oloughlin89
Reviews
Viskningar och rop (1972)
Deep, Dark, and Disturbing
This Bergman film walks us through a story of 3 sisters who you could argue, may not even be sisters due to their painfully awkward and dysfunctional relationships with one another. One of the sisters is dying from what seems to be a very painful and slow death. There is Agnes,(the sick sister) Karin, (the well off, but seemingly most disturbed) , and Maria (who seems almost soft and naive). I really loved how Bergman was able to convey the true pain of death in this film. It really stuck with me for a long time. I found myself thinking about all the families who deal with these sort of tragedies on a daily basis. I also feel that this film is conveying a method that regardless of the situation if a family has problems that go unresolved they all end up paying for it in the end. There is a lot of use of the color red in this film. Personally I took it as the color of blood and therefor death and pain, obviously in the dying sisters case, but maybe even more so with the family structure. Unfortunately, because it was so sad and dark it did leave me feeling very depressed and questioning what would it be like for myself in that situation. I have really put much more though into my family bonds and relationships since viewing this film. If you are looking for a dark film done excellent this is perfect for you. I hop you enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not recommend watching this film if you are in a dark place emotionally.
Dom za vesanje (1988)
Magical Realism at its best
I am not sure that there is another film out there that has made me feel so close with the characters. In time of the gypsies within 5 minutes you feel as you are right next to these people in their struggle to adapt and survive in the world. I really enjoyed how the film didn't show a bias towards one culture or another, just the differences. In this film you see what greed can do to ruin you. I enjoyed seeing the main characters struggles with his moral values and what he eventually does to make money and "fame" from his fellow gypsies. I took it as a big statement of not letting material things change who you are. I really enjoyed the use of magical realism in this film. It was to the point of me having to discuss it with friends to really see how many instincts there were in this film. They really are very hard to realize once you get emerged with this movie. It was a great job, especially because it was one of the first films i personally have seen with the use of magical realism. Throughout the movie I felt as if I was putting myself in the same sort of position asking if in the same situation how would i handle it. I also liked the background love story, some may not see it as that, but i definitely believed that the reason Perhan changed so much was to win over Azra and her family. I also enjoyed the constant conflict form the uncle in the film and the face that it seemed to have little to no shock factor for the family. Overall I definitely recommend this film its a great way to exposure yourself to other cultures and beliefs.
Le fantôme de la liberté (1974)
Lost and loving every minute of it!
Luis Bunuel, Where o where did you come from? I feel like I just took a big strip of acid, sat back, and got lost in my wildest imagination. This is a great great example of Surrealism at its finest. I finally figured out what it meant to be a surrealist after watching this film. From the beginning your not so sure where things are headed, but soon realize, where things are headed is the least of things to be thinking about. Jumping from on story, from one social class, from one activity to another, Luis Bunuel amazes. Im not so sure I could explain this movie to you in much more than just a must watch. I love how he questions the status quo in almost every shot in this film. If you really think about it, if this is the way that we grew up we would consider this normal. I know for me personally i will never be able to watch another movie quite the same, heck for that matter Im not sure if ill ever be able to think the same. Such an experience, you almost cant even consider this as just watching a movie. It made me feel so alive and free from the society norms. I will forever be in debt to my film teacher and Mr. Bunuel for giving a novice film watcher (never had seen a foreign film until this year) and turning me into someone who will always question a good movie in comparison to something like this which tears you all over the feeling spectrum. Wonderful!!!!
Idi i smotri (1985)
Stumped
Where to start? The way Klimov depicted war in this film is astonishing. This is one of the first war movies that I have personally viewed that did not include the normal glorification of war. It did not have a real "Hero", although I would say that the child that this movie follows is a real hero going through the trials and tribulations throughout this movie. I was blown away by the acting in this film. The child stars shine brightly through this dim and gloomy film. I walked out after seeing this movie rethinking the lives of all those affected by war. This gave me such a new appreciation for the struggles for families involved in combat. I was filled with sadness and confusion on how some of the people in this world can view another human being as nothing more than a pawn in a chess game. I feel that this movie has opened my eyes to things I would have never thought about before. Definitely recommended but prepare to be shocked and saddened by this one.
La otra conquista (1998)
Hits on all levels of empathy and pain
I went into seeing this movie maybe being a little biased due to the fact that I am an Irish boy from Boston who knows a small amount about film and unfortunately and even smaller amount about the Aztec history. I was pleasantly surprised as it seemed the longer the movie went on, the closer I felt I was there with these people during there struggles of being conquered by a completely different species of human being. I felt uneasy as I tried to imagine having love for a higher power that would outweigh life. The passion that the Aztecs have for their way of life (religion) and trying to show future generations about their own is compelling far beyond measure. The film grabbed ahold of me, filling me with anxiety in certain parts especially those with some violence (which seemed unimaginable for the petty "crime" the person committed.) I was also able to relate to the forced religion in this movie due to the fact I was raised Catholic not by my choice but as to what people around me imposed. This movie was a real eye opener to the Aztecs past struggles with trying to adapt to an incredibly distant Spaniard way of life. Towards the end you get almost a hint or tip that it seems the priests from Spain are trying to understand the new Aztec people in an effort to put themselves in their shoes. My overall thought is that this movie is a great example of what it is like to take two completely different things and mix them together expecting there to be no problems with the two adapting to each other. It can be a lesson in empathy and bonding, helping to show that we need compassion in life regardless if its something to this magnitude or even the petty things throughout the day. I am very fortunate to have seen this film and it was done perfectly. Great Movie!